Life After Seven
by Queen Ferret
Summary: This picks up just a few weeks after the final. Find out what's happening with L&L in their new relationship. Follow Rory in her new career and her love life. This story will feature everyone we know and love from GG. ON HOLD
1. Achy Breaky Butt

F.Y.I - I don't own the Gilmore Girls in any way, shape or form, this is just my imagination keeping the Girls alive.

**Achy Breaky Butt**

Rory was looking out the window of the bus. Outside of work all she seemed to be able to do was stair out of bus, plane or hotel room windows. She would talk to people when they spoke to her, but she would never start the conversation. She was to busy asking herself that same question over and over, "Why did he give me an ultimatum?" She couldn't figure it out. She was sure that Logan loved her, but if he did why did he give her up so easily. Maybe all she was meant to be was an accessory, an ornament on his arm. The funny thing was Rory was convinced that that wasn't it. She knew that Logan would hate a trophy wife.

For what must have been the hundredth time in the fifteen days since she had last seen Logan, she decided to contact him. She couldn't bring herself to call him. The idea that he may not answer the call because it was her would just be too painful. She pulled out her laptop from the pocket in the seat in front of her. She opened the draft email that she had been trying to write to Logan for days. She just stared at it. It was long, even by her standards. But it just wasn't right, it didn't say what she wanted it to.

"Hey don't frown so hard, the letters on the screen can't see that you're not happy with them." Rory looked up at her fellow reporter Kerry. Kerry was just a little older than Rory at twenty seven. She worked for an on-line magazine and it showed that she'd never really worked in an office. She dressed in hippy chic, as Rory had come to think of it. Today she was wearing tailored black pants and a loud tie-died silk blouse. Her long dirty blond hair was in two braids that almost reached her waist.

"What?"

"The way you're looking at the screen. No matter how hard you stair the letters aren't going to rearrange themselves. Trust me I learnt that the hard way." Kerry smiled at Rory then continued on.

"Or it may be the whole sitting on a bus for days on end. I don't know about you but my ass hurts." Kerry proceed to wiggle around in her seat, trying vainly to find a more comfortable spot.

"Well at least you have and achy breaky butt. I think I lost feeling in mine about three hours ago."

"No way, your way better off. I would kill for a numb ass. Really the only down side would be how would I know if I need to go to the bathroom."

"Well my numbness is localized to my butt so I don't think I'm at risk of any accidents." Rory looked back at her screen again, her mood a little liter from the butt banter. But all the banter in the world was not going to help with the email that she had to write.

"Look, you're over thinking it. Whenever I have to fight this hard to write an article I'm over thinking it. Start again and keep it simple."

"Umm thanks." Rory didn't bother to share that it was not an article that she was working on. Nope she had no problem writing her articles. It was when she had to think about anything other than work that she got lost. That she thought of Logan.

In the end she took Kerry's advice. Rory deleted her long drawn out email and started afresh.


	2. Tastes Like Will or Jim

Tastes Like Will or Jim

Tastes Like Will or Jim

Lorelai was sitting in the kitchen of the Dragonfly Inn. She'd been nursing the same cup of coffee for almost an hour. Sookie was standing by a big stew pot that had been simmering for hours. She got a tea spoon out and tasted the mixture. "Ahhh that's it! Out!"

Lorelai looked up. "Me?"

"Yes you." Sookie points her finger accusingly at Lorelai. "Your funny mood is making my food taste funny. Now get out."

"My mood is not affecting you cooking Sookie."

"It is, just try it." Lorelai reluctantly got up off her stool and tries the stew. "Ohhh, your right. This strew does taste funny. Just like Will Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air." Lorelai took another taste. "No, on second thoughts I think it's more like Jim Carry before he got all serious."

"Lorelai I'm being serious."

"I'm not cos I'm in a funny mood."

"I didn't mean funny ha ha. I meant funny as in …."

"Missing Rory?"

"Yeah."

"Sookie its ok you can say her name."

"Well it's just every time I say her same you get this face."

"I don't get a face."

"You do. You get this sad puppy dog face."

"Well I miss her."

"But she's been away from you before."

"Yeah but this is very different. Who knows when I'll see her next. I talk to her all the time on the phone, but it's just not the same."

"Yeah but I bet Luuuke is helping take you mind off it."

Lorelai breaks out into a broad smile. "Yeah he his."


	3. Was it the Gin?

Was it the Gin?

Rory was standing at the back of the function hall. She was one of the dozen reporters covering the event tonight. She wasn't sure how her boss Hugo got her "in" but he did. Tonight was a more privet function held for the major contributors of Obama's campaign. The main part of the night was over, Obama had made his speech and several of the reporters had already left. Rory had stuck around hopping that some of the guests may get a little tipsy, and give her a scoop. She had a fantastic ability at putting people at ease. It was coming in handy.

Rory had just finished her gin martini. It was her first drink of the night and she felt she had earned it. It was well past midnight and she had spent the last forty-five minuets socializing with her fellow reporters. It was well after midnight and it didn't appear that anything more exciting was going to happen. Rory looked around the room contemplating having another martini, when to her horror, she spotted the last person on earth that she expected to see.

"Rory Gilmore, I didn't expect to see you here." Mitchum Huntzberger smiled at Rory. "Mitchum, ah hi. I wasn't expecting to see you here ether." Rory managed to put on a fake smile. She was ignoring the face of her fellow reporters who were shocked to see that she was on a first name basis with Mitchum Huntzberger. She was concentrating really hard not to let the resentment that she held for this man show on her face.

"Well you know, no rest for the wicked." Rory couldn't help but think Mitchum must never sleep then. After a long pause Mitchum asked "So, how's Logan settling with his new job?"

"I don't know." Rory kept her answer short, hopping that Mitchum would get the idea to drop it.

"Oh, I just thought that you would have spoken to him more recently than I had." Rory couldn't believe it. Here was Mitchum standing there asking about Logan as if he cared.

Rory felt it coming. She couldn't stop it. It started in the pit of her stomach and worked its way up to her throat. Her last rational thought before it came spilling forth, _was it the gin? _

"Since when did you ever just talk to Logan? It's not like you ever called him just to say hi, how's it going? Or gee wiz that basketball teams doing well. No you never called just to talk to you son, because if you did, you wouldn't be standing here talking to me. You would know that Logan and I have broken up. You know for some big shot newspaper guy, you don't check you facts very well." Rory was unsure why she had snapped at Mitchum. The last thing she wanted to do was make a scene in public. But she just couldn't resist yelling at Mitchum. What a nerve he had. Rory who had kept direct eye contact during the whole rant, felt tears swelling up in her eyes, before they had even formed a glassy film over her bright blue eyes she turned and made her way out of the function center. She never looked back. Just like Logan didn't look back.

Mitchum was stunned into silence. This petite brunette with fire in her eyes had just put him in his placed and then had the nerve to walk away from him. No one walked away from Mitchum Huntzberger.

**Hi guy thanks for the feed back and for adding me to you favorites, its much appreciated.**


	4. There went the tender moment

**There went the tender moment**

Logan Huntzberger was sitting at his desk. He'd been in the job for less than two weeks. He was proud of what he was doing. He'd gotten the job on his own, it wasn't handed to him on a platter. Granted he bought his share of the company with Huntzberger money, but it was _his_ trust fund money. The main reason he got the job was based on his merit. The company has developed a website that assisted business in networking. It was a growing business but until Logan came along it was missing someone to do their networking. Logan knew how to network. Logan will be the face of the business. In just two weeks he'd already lined up several meeting with different manufactures and wholesale suppliers. If he could just convince half of these companies to come on board, he would be half way to making there projected revenue for the year.

It was late he'd just finished working on some marketing reports. He was the only one left in the office. His desk was light by one lonely lamp. He jumped in the silence when his cell phone rang. He was so tired that he didn't even look at the caller ID before answering, "Logan Huntzberger."

"Logan, I hope I didn't wake you." Logan couldn't help but cringe at the sound of his father's voice.

"Well tough if you did because I'd be awake now regardless." Mitchum ignored the resentment in his son's voice.

"So how are you settling into your new job?"

"Just fine dad, just fine," an uncomfortable silence settled between them.

"Look was there something you wanted?" Logan lent back in his chair and loosened his tie. Working for over fifteen hours couldn't make his loosen his tie, but fifteen second on the phone with his father could. "Dad it's late and I was just on my out of the office."

"I spoke to Rory Gilmore today. You didn't tell me that you had broken up." Logan was stunned at this statement. Could it be that his cold distant father was making an enquiry to his personal life?

"I'm surprised that the gossip mill didn't relay the message to you."

"Son this is something that I shouldn't have to hear from the roomer mill."

"Well I never really considered it your business what happened with Rory and me. Especial after the way you treated her."

"Now son I liked Rory. Really I did. I though she was a lovely young lady. She certainly made you grow up." Well there went the tender moment. Mitchum just couldn't resist a moment where he could remind Logan what a failure he was.

"Dad…."

"Logan what happened?" For the first time that Logan could remember it almost sounded like his father cared. Maybe the tender moment was still going after all. His father didn't push him into answering. He just waited for an answer. Logan was unsure what to say. He hadn't even told Colin or Finn everything. Logan let out a breath that he didn't even know he'd been holding. "She said no."

"No what?"

"God damn it Dad! I asked her to be my wife and she said _no_. She walked away from me. What more is there to say?"

"Well for someone who walked away she seemed to care an awful lot about you."

"Whatever dad," Logan ended the call before his father had a chance to reply. He didn't want to hear it. He looked in his email inbox for the hundredth time that day. He'd been starring at the same unopened email for almost a week. It was entitled "Please read" and was from Rory.

He didn't want to read, but he couldn't delete it ether. He rocked back in his chair, ran his fingers through his hair and groaned in anger. He starred that way for a moment leaning back in his chair, his hands on his head. Then in one quick movement he lent forward and opened the email.

_Why did you walk away?_

_I love you_

That's all, it wasn't even signed. If it wasn't for the email address with her name in it he may not have even known who it was from. No that's not true, he would have known. How many other girls had really loved him?


	5. The Hot Problem

The hot problem

**The Hot Problem**

It's late at night. Lorelai is trying to sleep. She's in a pair of cotton summer P.J's. Her hot pink short shorts had "Tootsie Rolls" printed across her butt. The bright blue tank top read "How many Licks?" She tossed and turned, not really asleep. She had long ago kicked off the covers. She rolled over, picked up the phone, looked at the clock and dialed a number.

The phone rang several times before a very gruff voice answered. "What?"

"Well with an answer like that I don't think I'm going to speak to you."

"Fine by me. I'm hanging up now." Luke rolled over and looked at the time. His alarm clock read 4.37am. "Well that just rude, you do not call any one this late at night and then not speak to them," Lorelai said.

"You called me."

"Yes, but you're the one who answered rudely and then didn't even have the courtesy to ask what's wrong. You know this is not a very good sign for our budding relationship. I mean if this is the level of care that you're going to show me, then I may have to re think the entire dating thing."

"Lorelai it's 4.37 in the morning. It's been less than six hours since I last saw you, nothing has happened between then and now."

"Well now that's just not true. It's 4.39, it was 4.37 when I called you."

"If I ask you what's wrong will you tell me and then let me get back to sleep?"

"Maybe. You'll just have to ask and find out." There was a pause, Luke waited for Lorelai to say why she was calling him so early in the morning. In the end he gave up. "Okay, I give what's wrong."

Lorelai answered in the dirtiest voice she could muster, "I'm hot."

"Well I believe I have discovered that fact more than once, now can I go back to sleep."

"Hey mister. You just broke my feelings." Luke now realized that sleep was not going to be a possibility, sat up in bed. "What? How did I break you feelings? I just said you were hot."

"Yeah but what did you say before that?"

"I don't know."

"Well think really hard young Sky Walker." Lorelai pulled a magazine from her bed side table and started to fan herself with it.

"I asked you to let me go back to sleep and you yelled at me. Then I asked what's wrong, you told me and then you yelled at me."

"Yes! Exactly. You asked what's wrong, I told you that I was hot and then you agreed that that was my problem."

"That what was you problem?"

"Me being hot. Well if you find these good to be a problem then you can't have them any more."

Luke took a deep breath and tried again, "I'm sorry if I insulted you. I like you goods just fine. In fact I think that your good are the finest goods around. But it's really early and I have to get up in a few hours, so because I'm a glutton for punishment I'm going to ask just one more time, what's wrong?"

"Weren't you listening? I said I'm hot."

"Haven't we been here before?"

"Ohh noo. You see this is a completely different conversation. You see before you were telling me how hot you thought I was and now I'm telling you that it's like 12,000 degrees in my bed room, that I'm sweating like a pig and that I'm hot."

"So turn up you air conditioning."

"Ho my god I would never have thought of that. Thank you so much Doctor Freeze. I tried that but it made no difference. I think it's broken. By the way do pigs sweat? Or are they like dogs and they do the whole panting thing."

"I don't know."

"Now I've smelt pigs and let me tell you the idea that they smell that bad without sweating is just wrong."

Luke hopping to get back to the point of the phone call asked, "And what would you like me to do about it?"

"Maybe you could develop a line of pig hygiene products."

"I mean about the air conditioning?"  
"Do you think you could have a look at it?"

"What now?"

"Yes, cos I'm hot right now." Lorelai puts on a coy tone. "I'll make it worthy your while."

"I'm not going to get any sleep unless I come over, am I?"  
"Well I'm not planning on you getting sleep either way. But at least my way you will be having fun."

"I'm on my way." Luke very reluctantly got out of bed, got dressed, grabbed his tool box and headed out the door.

Lorelai on the other hand very happily hopped out of bed, headed to the bath room and freshened up.


	6. The Sound of Bennie

The Sound of Bennie

The Sound of Bennie

Rory got back to the motel where her and the other reporters were staying, she had managed not to look anyone in the eye. She couldn't stand to see the flinching look that she had seen in the cab driver give her.

When Rory got to her room she was greeted by her sleeping roommate Bennie. Rory hadn't known Bennie's real name for almost a full week. The only way she found out that her real name was Bianca Whiting until she read some of the free lance articles that she had written. Rory grabbed her jimmies and went into the bathroom. She didn't even look in the mirror, she just opened her cosmetic bag and took out her make-up remover. Just as she managed to get the lid of she dropped the container, the transparent blue liquid spilt all over the floor. "Great. Just great." Rory knelt down and picked the offending bottle and lid up. She dumped them in the sink and by accident looked up into the mirror. Her skin was white even by her standards and the mascara that had once adorned her eye lashes, was now tracing the tracks of her tears. "Well at least I wasn't kidding, all that's missing is the crow."

After Rory had cleaned herself up and changed into her jammies, she walked back into the bedroom hopping to watch some T.V. to distract her, but her ears were treated to the wonderful sound of Bennie snoring. "Well I suppose I could _watch_ T.V."

Rory was amazed by the fact that Bennie could sleep through anything. Rory thought that she would make a great war correspondent. Rory was sure that Bennie would sleep just fine in a war zone, booms and all.

Rory went to the mini bar and grabbed the first bottle that her hand reached. It wasn't until Rory had poured the bottle into the cheep glass that she realized it was scotch. With a little sob she thought that this was Logan signature drink. Rory turned on the telly and flicked for awhile before she lost interest. She grabbed her laptop and amused herself online until she had cleared out the mini bar and feel into a fitful sleep. Bennie's snoring still resonating in the back ground.

**Sorry about the wait guys. The real world has been taking up way to much or my time this week. The joys of working full time.**


	7. Judgment Day

**Judgment Day**

Luke came into Lorelei's house dressing in sweats and a t-shirt, no shoes and armed with his tool box. In the short distance from his place to Lorelei's he had successfully drenched his t-shirt in sweat. It was one of the hottest nights that Luke could remember. Luke made his way from the entry to the kitchen. The cooling unit for the house was located just outside the back door. He flicked the switch for the back light. Nothing happened. Luke shouted out.

"Lorelai did you know that you back lights have blown?" Luke placed his tool box on the kitchen table and opened it.

"Man, it's really hot in here."

Lorelai came into the room, "Well the excessive heat is the reason why I called."

"Do you have torch? I didn't bring mine."

"I think there's one under the sink." Lorelai made her way to the fridge to get a drink. "Hey the light in my fridge isn't working? Oh my god its happening isn't it?"

Luke who was on his knees looking under the sink said "What's happening?"

"Judgment Day."

"Judgment Day?"

"Yeah Judgment Day. Think about it. All the machines are starting to turn against us. First the air conditioning now the fridge. Ohh and Sookie's blender, its stuck on high all the time. What's next?" Luke found the torch under the sink and shone it around the room.

"I don't think that the machines are turning against us."

"But don't you see. Now one ever thinks that there is a problem until it to late. For all I know you are a terminator sent back in time to kill me."

"Or I could be sent back to protect you."

"There in lies the problem, how do I know if I can trust you?"  
"Well you'll just have to trust me. Besides, I'm far to animated for me to be a cyborg. I'm more like the other guy. It's my job to keep you safe." Luke walked over to the kitchen light switch and flicked it on and off.

"Your powers out, I'll check the fuse box." Lorelai stood in the kitchen drinking her water.

"Nope you fuse box is fine. There must be a power outage on you block."

"What am I going to do? I can't stay here, it's so hot in here that Nelly had to write a song about it."

"Well come back to my place. The air conditioning is working there."

"Well only if I can take Paul Anka."

"Sure why not?"

Lorelai went up stairs and came back down ten minuets later carrying an over night bag for herself and a small suit case for Paul Anka. Luke looked up.

"Aren't you going to change?"

"No. Why?" Luke makes a vague gesture towards Lorelei's How Many Likes tank top. Lorelai looks down. "

"Luke are you thinking something dirty?"

"Well have you read the top?"

"Yes I have. But it was really the bottoms that sold me on the P.J's," Lorelai turned around to reveal the "Tootsie Rolls" printed across her but. Luke just shakes his head.

"I should have known."

Lorelai stood on her front porch, "Luke, did you not notice on the way over that none of the street lights are working?"

"Hey what do you know. I mustn't be very alert this time of the morning."

Lorelai, Luke and Paul Anka started to make their way down the street. Lorelei's flop flops were echoing through the quiet street. They were just out the front of Babette'swhen Lorelai jumped with shock shouted out. "Ahhh!"

"What?" Luke looked around.

"How did you not see that?" Lorelai was pointing to Babette's front lawn whilst covering her eyes. Luke looked over to find Babette and Morey were asleep in the middle of the lawn, Babette was in a leopard print nightie and Morey was in matching leopard print boxers. They were asleep under the lawn sprinkler. "I didn't see that. If I did I would have warned you. Or poked my eyes out. No, I would of poked my eyes out first then I would of warned you"

"Luke, you just finish telling me that you had been sent back from the future by our son so that you could protect me and then conceive the said son. But your not five minuets into your mission and you've already failed me." Lorelai just stood there looking at a wet Babette and a soaking Morey.

Luke grabbed Lorelei's arm and started dragging her down the road. "Stop looking."

"I can't it's like a car crash or an Adam Sandler film. It's so bad you hope that it's going to get better but you know that it's only going to get worse."

They kept walking down the road. There wasn't a light on any where. "This is weird. Its like were waiting for the invasion to come. How come your place still has power?"  
"I don't know. I must be on a different grid to you."

"Huh. But Doose's has power and yet the street light out the front doesn't."

"I don't know. It's a mystery that will be better solved in the morning."

Lorelai give Doose's a hard stair and says, "I'll be back."


	8. Note, Memo, Communiqué

Note, Memo, Communiqué

**Note, Memo, Communiqué**

Rory awoke several hours later. A soft grey light was filtering through the cheep curtains, telling Rory that dawn wasn't far away. She laid in bed for a moment trying to figure out what had woken her. If she had been dreaming she didn't remember it. Maybe it was a noise? Yes, that's what woke her. A noise, but what noise? She laid patiently waiting for the noise to repeat itself, she had almost given up and fallen back to sleep when she heard it again. _Beep. _What did she have in her room that would beep? Rory groaned out loud, "My laptop. I forgot to charge my laptop." She got out of bed and staggered to the laptop perched on top of the dresser. If she didn't charge it now, it wouldn't be ready to go in a few hours when she had to leave this cruddy motel. Rory was about to close the laptop when she noticed that she had received an email.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw who it was from. It would be the first contact that she had had from him in twenty-three days. She debated with herself on weather to open the email or not. Her head told her to move on, that if he had really loved her he would never have walked away like that. Her heart kept saying that he loved her. That he would come back, any day now, he would come back. Despite the fact that her hearts voice was growing quieter by the day, that was the voice that she listened to. She kept listening to that voice hopping that it was right. Her heart decided that even if he said that he hated her at least that would be something. And something was better than the nothing that she had right now.

Rory's hand shook as she read the email.

_I did not walk away, you pushed me. And then you have the audacity to write an email professing you love me. A declaration that is very clearly contradicted by your previous actions and the engagement ring that I was forced to return. So I'm sorry that you disapproved of my actions but my actions were a direct result of behavior that you displayed. If you have found the out come of our relationship wanting then I apologize for the inconvenience that you have suffered but don't blame me for the ways things turned out. _

_This was not what I wanted. _

This so was not the reply that she was expecting. If he had said that he hated her, that she could of accepted, but not this. She did not push him. She started to type a reply but her fingers weren't moving fast enough to keep up with her brain. When she did re-read over what she had typed it was nothing but incoherent babble. She tried to start again but it was not working. Rory caved, she grabbed her phone and dialed a number that she never thought she would have the guts to call again.

The phone only rang twice before it was answered. Logan didn't even have a chance to acknowledge that he had answered the phone.

"First things first. _You _walked away all by yourself. I did _not_ push you. _You_ were the one who didn't want any middle ground. At no stage did my actions contradict my feelings for you, I can't be held responsible for the fact that you equate me not being ready to get married to me no loving you. And second, how dare you keep me waiting for a week to reply to my email. Did no one teach that its rude not to answer you mail."

"And what an email it was. You know, I don't think that two lines made up of eight words can really be called mail." Logan was sitting on his couch. His laptop was on the coffee table with a bottle and glass of scotch next to it. He'd been in the same place since he got home from the office.

"Fine then lets call it a note or a memo or even a communiqué. Call it what ever you want, but doesn't the shortness or my communications to you display a very poignant point? You, Logan Huntzberger are the only man who could reduce me to eight words. I don't think I've ever said anything in only eight words before. It took me 4 double sided pages to tell my married ex-boyfriend that he had to sort out his marriage before anything could happen between us. But you, you make me lose all my command over the English language. I tried to replay to your email but all that was coming out was babble."

"Rory I don't want to do this." Logan took a sip from his scotch.

"I don't care, I didn't want us to end, but you made darn sure that I didn't have a say in the matter. So, now it's _my_ turn and I say that we are doing this."

"Fine you want to do this lets do this. I'm not the one who said no. I'm not the one who saw us as a closed door. What, did you think I would hold you back? You love to write I would never stand in the way of that. You act as if I'm a closed door."

Rory sat on her bed and crossed her legs. She looked over at Bennie who was still sleeping. "I never said that you were a closed door. In fact you're the opposite, I would open my door for you any day. One of the finer highlights of the past three years has been me opening a door and finding you one the other side. So as you can see, I have a very anti-closed door policy when it comes to you."

"Well if you have this so called _anti-closed door policy_ when it comes to me, why did you say no?"

"Logan I didn't say no. I said not right now. I've only just graduated I'm not ready to settle down."

"I'm not asking you to settle down. I don't even know what that means. It's not like I'm going to marry you than expect you to become a Stepford wife. I was asking you to be by partner. I want you to keep writing, you wouldn't be you if you weren't writing. I want you to become a reporter."

Rory voice started to crack, showing Logan the tears that he couldn't see. "Don't you get it Logan? Once I have a ring on my finger I wont have as many opportunities. I wouldn't be able to take jobs like I'm on now because I wouldn't be coming home to you every night."

"Rory that's not fair, you make it sound like I would put you on a leash."

Rory sat crying for a moment, Logan could hear it clearly now. In the most broken and quiet voice that he had ever heard Rory use she replied, "No that's not what I mean."

"Rory to be honest I don't care what you mean. The last time I saw you, you were standing under a tree giving me back your ring. You didn't cry or anything. You're crying now. But that day you just stood there, waiting for me to take the ring and walk away. And that's exactly what I did. I took the ring and walked away. There is nothing more to say." Logan ended the call before Rory had a chance to respond.

There he'd said it all now. He could start to move on.

After Logan had hung up Rory just starred at the phone, there was so much to say but he wouldn't listen. How could Logan not know that there was so much more to say? Rory lay back down in her bed, curled herself around a pillow and cried until Bennie was awake and it was time for her day to begin.

****

**I just want to say a thank you for the feed back, I'm reading it all. I would just like to give a special shout out to _halfadash_ – Your feed back made it into this chapter. To all my readers in the ****USA**** I need your help. I need to know the name of the guys who come around to your neighborhoods selling Ice Creams out of a van, you know they have the really annoying music that plays. Over here in the land of Oz there call Mr Whippy vans, but I have no idea what you guys in the ****USA**** call them. Please let me know :D**


	9. Jolly Rancher’s

Jolly Rancher's

**Jolly Rancher's**

Lorelai and Luke had just settled into bed. It had taken them fifteen minuets to make sure that Paul Anka was settled in with his favorite blanket and his favorite pair of Lorelai's shoes. Lorelai snuggled in next to Luke.

"It's too hot outside for us to sleep this close together."

"That's why I turned the air con up so high."

"So that wasn't just your desire to be wasteful."

"Nope, in fact it was the opposite. I didn't want to waste an excuse to get all close and snuggly to you." Luke who had his eyes closed smiled wistfully and through his arm around Lorelai.

"Well we have wasted a lot of time haven't we?"

"Yeah." Lorelai closed her eyes and smiled very contently.

"I'm glade that we're making up for lost time."

"Me too." With that the both were content enough to find sleep.

Lorelai thought that she was dreaming. She had reached that state where she was so warm and comfortable that her toes were tingling. Her head was resting on her favorite pillow, Luke's chest. She could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he slept. His heart beat was strong and even. In the background of her wonderful dream she could hear the most wonderful music. It was the sweetest sounding music, it always made Lorelai feel happy when she heard it. It was one of the songs that she wanted played at her funeral.

Lorelai sits bolt up right in bed, "Chilly Willy!"

Luke woke up with a fright. "What! What is it? I told you Judgment Day isn't real."

Lorelai looked at Luke with a big grin on her face. "It's Chilly Willy" Lorelai scramble out of bed and started looking for her shoes. Luke still had no idea what Lorelai was talking about.

"It's not that cold in here."

Lorelai was still looking for her shoes "What did you say?"

"I said that it's not that cold in here. It's not chilly enough for you to get out of bed."

"No, not you. Its Chilly Willy the Ice Cream Man. Where are my flip flops?"

Luke stopped and listened for a moment and there in the distance he could here the jingle of an Ice Cream Truck. "Have you checked with Paul Anka?"  
"Right, Paul Anka." Lorelai walks over to Paul Anka's bed, Paul Anka himself is asleep on his back. His head resting on a pillow. Between his paws was one of his favorite black pumps. The other shoe lay next to him along with Lorelai's flip flops. Lorelai slips them on and turns to Luke. "Right where's you wallet?"

"Huh?"

"You know a little bit of dead cow skin about so big, you put money in it?" Luke points to his side table, where his wallet lay. He finally clicks onto Lorelai's plan, "You are not going out there to get ice cream."

"Yes I am."

"Are you insane? It's like five in the morning."

"I know. I've never had Chilly Willy at five in the morning." Lorelai grabs Luke's wallet and his arm. She starts to pull him out of bed, "Common it'll be fun."

"It'll make me ill, that's what it'll do."

Lorelai started to dash out the door with Luke trailing behind her. Before they reach the step out side of Luke's place Lorelai calls out, "Paul Anka are you coming. Mommy will buy you an ice cream." Paula Anka barks once, get up out of his bed and runs out the door past Lorelai and Luke. "We'd better hurry he's such an ice cream slut when it comes to Jolly Rancher's."

Lorelai and Luke made there way into the street. They looked around and found the Chilly Will Truck parked out side of the gazebo. A line had already formed. "Hiya sugar! Isn't this great!" Babette had an ice cream in each hand and a big smile on her face. "Where's Morey?" Lorelai didn't ask out of politeness, the image of a sleeping wet Morey in nothing but boxer shorts was going to cause her to have nightmares. She did not need a version where he was awake.

"Still asleep under the sprinkler. I thought I would surprise him with this." Babette walked away still only dressed in her wet nightie. Luke shudders.

"Now see aren't you glade that I brought you here. Look the whole towns here. Who would of thought that Chilly Willy would be like the Pied Piper."

"Well I've always said that most of the people in this town are just like giant dumb rats."

"Rats are actually very smart you know." Sookie, Jackson and there kids had joined the line. Jackson and Luke nodded to each other. "Do you remember that rat at the Independence Inn?" Sookie asks.

"Bob?" Lorelai asks as the line moves forward.

"Yes! Bob the rat. I swear he could open the fridge door. I don't know how he did it."

Luke had a blank look on his face. "There was a rat at the independent?"

Lorelai looked at Luke, "Remember you helped get rid of him."

"I did?" Luke looks to Lorelai for conformation.

"You really aren't very alert this time of day are you? Remember I called you all panicked at the dinner, you came right over armed with a base ball bat because you thought I was being attached by someone."

Luke thought that he was starting to remember, "Was Michel screaming in the back ground?"

"Yes! I forgot about that. He stood on the stool in the kitchen and wouldn't get down until after you got ride of it."

"Do you remember how we'd been trying to get rid of him for years? We tried traps, poison, everything. But he was smart, he never fell for any of it until we caught him. How did we catch him in the end?"

"You don't remember?" Sookie shook her head. Lorelai was in shock that such an event had been forgotten. "I can't believe you don't remember. I had a flask of vodka in my bag left over from one of my visits to my parents?" Sookie shook her head.

"You know, I put my bag down in the store room, and when I came back at then of my shift, I found him drunk, passed out cold in my bag."

"Ohh I remember now. All the screaming. You were really freaked and it was such a nice bag."

"I know I was never able to use that bag again." By now Lorelai was next in line to be served. "Kirk!"

Luke under his breath says, "I should of known that he would be the idiot that started this all."

"Lorelai what can I get. We have a fine selection for you this morning." Kirk points to the sign next to his little window with all the pictures of the ice creams that he sold. Lorelai looked at the pictures for a moment, them her face light up. "Ohh I want that one!" Lorelai pointed to the one she wanted.

"Excellent choose. And for the gentleman?" Kirk looked at Luke expectantly.

"Nothing for me, I'm not adding to the madness."

"Very well." Kirk busied himself finding the ice cream that Lorelai wanted.

"Kirk what on earth possessed you to start selling ice cream at five in the morning?" Luke asked.

"Well when I noticed that the power was out, I thought that boy its going to get hot and that people would want ice cream. So here I am."

"But where did you get the truck from?"

"It's my friend Tim's. He lives over in Woodridge. He wasn't using it so he said that I could."

"At five in the morning?"

"No, he said yes at four in the morning." Luke just looked at Kirk in disbelief.

Kirk felt the need to defe3nd himself. "Well he wasn't using it."

"Isn't Taylor going to mad that you're selling ice cream?'

"Why would he. He's not selling ice cream right now. Beside its good to have competition. It keeps the market healthy." Kirk finally found Lorelai's ice cream and hands it to her. "That'll be four-fifty thanks."

"Four-fifty? For one ice cream."

"No for two."

"But I didn't get one."

"No but Paula Anka did. He really likes those Jolly Rancher's."


	10. Advising of the Scoop

_Well I keep thinking that I have reach the half way point of my story, but then I look at the page count and realize that this chapter makes it 17 pages that I've published out of 35. I still have lots of fleshing out to go on the remaining pages. I know where this is going, but I'm still working on how to get there. Thanks for still reading my fic, feed back as always is welcome. I will try to get one more chapter up before the weekend is over. And just because I haven't said it for awhile, I don't own the Gilmore Girls, I'm just playing with them._

Advising of the Scoop

Rory was sitting under a tree finishing her latest article. Hugo had been giving her great feed back about her writing. He said that with her good humor and wit she was starting to carve out her writing identity.

"We come bearing gifts." Rory looked up to see Kerry and Bennie walking towards her. Bennie was carrying a tray with three coffees in it. Kerry was carrying a take out bag.

"We bribed the Chinese Restaurant down the road to cook us food even though they stopped serving lunch two hours ago."

"Thanks." Rory took the coffee and placed it on the ground next to her, so that Bennie could sit down without it spilling.

"No problem, you own me fifty bucks for you share of the bribe." Kerry said as she gave out the food. They sat in silence eating for a few minuets.

"Sooo are you going to tell me what happened this morning? Or am I suppose to ignore it?" Bennie asked as she picked out the broccoli from her beef in black bean.

"I would prefer it if you could ignore it." Rory didn't look up so she missed the look passed between Kerry and Bennie.

"Well I'm working on being the Worlds Greatest Reporter cos I want your hat, so I can't let it go." They sat in silence a few minuets longer.

Kerry was first to break the new round of uncomfortable silence. "Rory I know we haven't know each other long but, I think that maybe you need to talk. And I'm great at giving advice. I used to write the advice column for my home town paper." Kerry said this very enthusiastically. "It was called Kerry's Karing Korner. I always hated that they changed all the C's to K's. K.K.K. what was my editor thinking?" Rory normally found her bubblyness intoxicating. Today it just gave her a hang over.

Rory tried to sound strong and together, "I don't need to talk, everything is fine." After she said it, Rory knew that it made her sound like an impudent child.

"Yes because the definition of fine, is me waking up finding you crying and huddled around a pillow and then acting like a zombie for the rest of the day."

"Hey! I haven't asked to eat anyone's brains, have I?" Rory waved her fork which was loaded with a giant shrimp accusingly.

"No but I think you brains checked out for the day and that your running on auto pilot." This shut Rory up. She really couldn't think of a come back for what Bennie had said because she knew it was true.

"Common Rory you have to tell us what's going on." Kerry looked at Rory. It wasn't a hard look it was more like a look that said, I can wait for all day and I will if, you need me too.

"It's nothing." Both Bennie and Kerry gave Rory a hard stair that clearly stated that they didn't believe her.

Rory caved. "I just got in a fight with my boyfriend, well with my ex-boyfriend."

Kerry burst out with, "Oh god! Your pregnant and he is saying he wants nothing to do with you."

"Nooo! I'm not pregnant." Rory was shocked at that. She had always been especially careful in that area, as her mother said she was a very loving reminder of what happens when you're not careful.

"What on earth would make you say that? My skins not glowing, my ankles aren't swollen and I don't have cravings for weird ass food."

"Say's she who introduced me to dessert sushi," say's Bennie.

"That's not weird. That's inventive." Rory said defensively.

"Well the only two reasons that a self respecting woman contacts her ex-boyfriend is if she's pregnant or..."

"If she's still in love with him." Rory says. She looks down not wanting to meet there eyes.

"But you've been on two dates since joining the campaign trail. You've never even mentioned him." Bennie was leaning forward her food long forgotten.

Even though Rory was single, she still felt a need to justify her actions. "Well I didn't mean to go out on the dates."

"How do you not mean to go out on dates? It's a very deliberate thing."Bennie deepens her voice. "Hi Rory I was wondering if you would like to go out some time."Bennie now switches to a higher pitched voice in what was a very bad imitation of Rory. "Sure, that would be great."

Bennie goes back to speaking normally. "I was there on at least one occasion when you were asked out, it seemed very deliberate to me."

"Well to be honest. I wasn't really listening when I said yes. It wasn't until after I said yes, that I realized what I had said yes to and then it was too late to back out."

"So who is this mystery ex-boyfriend? How long had you been going out? Why did you break up?" Kerry felt that they were on a roll for getting information out of Rory and hoped that it would keep going.

"Logan, almost three years and I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know. How could you not know why you broke up?" Bennie finished her coffee and focused on Rory.

"It was the job wasn't it? He didn't like you traveling. So many men are like that. It's ok for them to travel all over the place following the Arizona Diamondbacks. But if you have to travel they turn around and say, But how can you leave me like this? How is it going to work? You really don't need to travel for you job." Kerry looked around her."Sorry did I just import my problems into this conversation?"

Rory nodded, "I don' think that the travel was the problem, it was just… complicated. I just think that it finally dawned on me last night that I wasn't going to see him again. We've broken up before but we always got back together. Always." Rory started to cry.

"Gezz you got it bad. You sure it's over?" Bennie moved next to Rory and put her arm around her.

Rory lent forward and hid her face. Her voice came out muffled, "Well it sounded really final to me over the phone."  
"What made it so final this time?"

"The way he spoke. In the end he was calm, he wasn't emotional. In the past we were always emotional. It was like the time he was resolved not to work for his father anymore. He wasn't upset, he didn't yell, he was calm."

"That doesn't me squat. Father issues and girlfriend issues are very different. The more sure my husband sounds the less he knows." Bennie smiled to herself, remembering some of the disagreements that her and her partner had had over the years.

"You think?" Rory looked up at Bennie. Bennie was glade to see that there was a glimmer or hope in Rory's eyes.

"What you need is some inside info. You need to talk to someone that he would talk to about this kind of stuff. You know, get the inside scoop." Kerry said very thoughtfully. Rory had never heard a real reporter say scoop seriously.

"So find myself a scoop and ask away?" Kerry nod's her head, Rory looks to Bennie hoping to find her disapproving of the scoop idea.

"I can't do that! I don't think any of his scoops would talk to me?"

"But that's you job, to get scoops to talk to you. You do it all the time." Kerry said.

"And why wouldn't a scoop talk to you?" Rory knew that Bennie would ask the right question. Man it was hard keeping secrets from reporters, they could smell a lie.

"Because, well I turned down his proposal," Rory bit her lip and once again found it very hard to make eye contact.

"Ohh it's all coming clear now." Kerry says very seriously.

"Well I'm glade it is to someone."

"Think about it, he thought that you were the love of his life. He was prepared to make the ultimate commitment to you and you said no. He's probably thinking that he was just kidding himself that you were the one, now he feels like a fool. So when he speaks to you, he sounds so sure of himself because he doesn't want to loose any more face with you."

Rory looked at Kerry in shock. "You really did run the advice column didn't you?"


	11. Great Expectations

Great Expectations

Lorelai is standing at the reception desk at the Dragonfly Inn. Her hair was up in a messy bun, she was fanning herself with a piece of paper. The power still was not back on in Stars Hollow and whilst the Inn had a generator, it couldn't fight the heat wave that they were in the middle of. She was flipping though the multitude of brochures her mother had given her on spas and the services they offer. Michelle came up behind her and snatches the brochure out of her hand.

"Hey Michelle!"

"Oooo are you zinking of going to a spar. You muzt get one of zee volcanic mud wraps. After you 'ave 'ad one, you will feel like you have skinned a baby and replaced your own skin with it's."

"Eww gross. And I'm not thinking about going to a spar. I'm thinking about getting one added here."

"And you were not going to consult me! Who goes to the effort of using twelve different moisturizers and anti aging creams to look zis good." Michelle motions to his face.

"I'm only toying with the idea."

"Beauty iz not to be toyed with. No wonder you cannot keep a man, with all you're toying."

"Michelle, I promise, you will be consulted if we decide to add a spar to the Inn, I wouldn't dream of not consulting, especial considering all the baby skinning experience you have." The reception phone rang saving Lorelai from hearing what ever Michelle was going to say back. Lorelai recognized the number on caller I.D.

"Good morning, Dragonfly Inn. Where you can checkout any time you like, but you can never leave."

"Mom I think I made a mistake." Rory was back in her motel room. Bennie and Kerry had given her some space to think things through. She had showered and changed into her P.J's.

"Did you ware shorts? Rory I told you shorts are not professional." Lorelai

"No I didn't ware short." Rory tucked a lose strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. Despite how bad she felt, her Mom could always make her smile.

"Please tell me you didn't shave your head. I know that you've been pursuing a music career. But honey honestly, Britney shaving her head was not an improvement in her talent."

"I think I made a mistake when I told Logan no." Rory knew that that statement was going to shut her mother up. They had spoken on and off about the whole break up thing, bit it had always been in terms of if Rory was doing okay. But they hadn't really spoken about the event itself.

Lorelai drew a deep breath, "Rory, you need to stop second guessing yourself. If he was the one then you wouldn't have hesitated. You wouldn't of said no."

"No I was right in saying no. I'm not ready for marriage. I went wrong in the way I told him. Logan runs from emotional stuff, he always has."

"Sooo if you could do it over you would of hand cuffed yourself to him."

"I was think that a shackle and chain would of been more appropriate."

"Rory if he was the one he wouldn't of let you go so easily."

"Just like Luke?"

"That's different."

"No actually, it is very similar. In both cases there was a Lorelai Gilmore involved and a male whose name started with L. There have been multiple split up's but you always keep finding each other."

"I think that you sample is a little off kilter. What about you father and I? Common, the only reason you father and I were meant to be was so we could have you. Other than that we are nothing short of a disaster."

"But what you felt for Luke was different. You know that, what you have with dad was more like a dream, who doesn't want to be in love with the father of their child? Beside if you would really like me to use all of your relationships as examples, I think I'm going to have to start calling you Miss Havisham."

"Hey a little optimism would be appreciated Estella. I have great expectations for my relationship with Luke, and don't forget three times is a charm."  
"Points for picking up on the Dickens reference."

"Well I've been hanging around with this really smart Yale graduate, it was bound to rub off sooner or later. That and I just watched the movie the other day." Lorelai walked over to one of the Inn's windows.

"Which one? Gwyneth and Ethan or the old creepy version?"

Lorelai holds the phone between her shoulder and face attempts to open the window. The window was stuck so she started to jiggle it. "The old creepy version, as creepy as I find Gwyneth she cannot compete with the 1946 version." Lorelai finally got the window open, instead of finding a refreshing breeze she chocked on the hot dry air.

"Mom, are you okay?"

"Yeah I just opened a window for some fresh air."

"Don't tell me that another pickle train has derailed?"

"No derailed pickle trains, just a heat wave and no air conditioning."

"Why no air conditioning? Is Michelle complaining again that the air con dries out his skin?"

"No we are in the middle of a selective black out."

"A selective black out?"

"Yeah, the whole town is out except for Luke's and Taylor's. Every where else has been painted black."

"Well maybe they have generators." Rory offered her opinion.

"That what I said. But Luke said that he doesn't have a generator and that Taylor would need his permission to put one in at the soda shop."

"Huh, so it really is a selective black out."

"Yep."

"You know mom, that if Logan and I made up than we would be on third times a charm."

"You want to make up with Logan?" Lorelai sat down in the library and found herself a magazine to fan herself with.

"I don't know. I spoke to him the other day."

"How bad was it."

"Bad, there was lots of crying."

"What kind or crying?"

"Like I thought that E.T. was dead."

"Snot and all."

"Yeah it wasn't very pretty."

"Well you've never been a pretty crier." Lorelai paused unsure if she wanted to ask her next question. In the end her curiosity won out, "So what are you going to do."

"I don't know. I've tried to call him again, but he won't answer. And I don't want to call from another phone because that would be stalking, and just because I'm a single white female doesn't mean I have to act like one."

"Well I think Logan's making it pretty clear that he doesn't want to talk to you. Maybe there's no fixing this."

"I know, but it just seems so final. I didn't want it to be over. I wanted to marry him mom."

"Then why did you say no."

"Because it wasn't the right time."

"And you seriously think that there would of been a right time."

"Yeah, I do."

"And I thought I knew how to complicate my love life."

"Well I did learn from the best."


	12. Over Look

Over Look

­It was the middle of the lunch hour rush. Luke's was packed with people, more than usual. It turned out being one of the only buildings in town with air conditioning was quite the draw card. The only down side was with Lane still at home with the twins he was a staff member down.

Luke had just delivered two plates of food to a table and looked up when the bell above the door jingled, announcing that Taylor had entered to dinner.

"Ohh goody. My day is just getting better and better." Luke said under his breath.

"Luke, might I speak with you,"

"Now is not a good time Taylor." Luke picked up an empty plate and wiped down the table just in time of another customer to sit down at it.

"Well I have been trying to get your attention through the window for over an hour."

"And I've been ignoring you for the last hour."

"But it's a very important matter Luke. It will only take a moment."

"If I give you the moment will you go away?"

"Once our business is done, yes I will leave."

"You promise?"

"Yes I promise."

"Great you can have you moment."

"Well as you are aware being the only other proprietor in town with air conditioning is quite a draw card." Taylor looked at Luke waiting for him to acknowledge this.

After a brief pause Luke answers, "Yes I am aware of that fact. That's why I could only give you a moment for my time. A moment that you now only half left of."

"Well running all this air conditioning isn't exactly cheep. And whilst I don't mind making the initial out lay for the costs for running of the air conditioning, I thought that it was only fair that I present you with your bill." Taylor gave the bill to Luke.

"Now I've factored in the type of electrical equipment that you have in here. I also took into consideration the grossly inefficient air condition model that you have. You know you should really up date that. It's costing you a fortune to run. I also have worked out a daily rate for you so you know how much to pay tomorrow if the power isn't back on."

Luke looked at the bill. The veins in his neck started to bulge out.

"Taylor what the hell are you giving me a three hundred dollar bill for?"

"For the running of the generator."

"What generator."

Taylor rolled his eyes and spoke like he was talking to a very small child. "The one that is supplying power to your building."

"But I don't have a generator."

"No but I do. And it seems that when it was installed Monday, they had to use the main wiring in the building. It seems that the standard wiring wasn't adequate for running the power throw. So they had to use the main wiring that also powers all of your electrical goods."

"Taylor," Luke spoke quietly, trying not to let his anger get a hold of him. "You're not aloud to have a generator without the building owner's permission."

"Well normally yes. But I thought that since you were benefiting from the generator that you would be prepared to over look that minor little detail. You will find that I am charging you a very reasonable price for the use of the generator. I haven't even charged you for any of the installation or projected maintenance costs."

"Over look it. You would like me to over look it? Fine you know what? I'll over look it. I mean I over looked that ridiculous window that you put in."

Luke points to the window in the wall between their businesses. "I over looked it when your car crashed into my dinner after the driver was blinded by your red light camera. So since I have so much practice over looking the stupid things that you do, I will add the generator to the list. And you know what? I'll also add the bill to the list of things that you do that _I_ over look."

Luke stuffed the bill into the pocket of Taylor's vest. "Now if you don't mind I have customers to service in my nice, cool, diner. In fact I don't think that its quite cool enough in here, I just might turn the cooling up."

Taylor stood in the dinner speechless for a moment. He then, very wisely left with out saying anything more.

The lunch rush was finally over. The dinner was now full of people drinking ice-tea. The bell rant again, Luke looked up to see Lorelai walking in. He smiled. He had missed her walking to the dinner knowing that she had come to see him and not just the amazing coffee that he had. Lorelai smiled and sat down at her usual stool. She lent forward on her stool and kissed Luke hello.

"Hey. Coffee?"

In her whiniest voice answered, "Nooo. It's to hot for coffee."

"How about an iced coffee milk shake with chocolate topping?"

Lorelai's face light up. "You really do love me don't you?"

"What can I say, you grow on me." Luke turned around and started to make Lorelai's milk shake, "Hey I solved the selective black out mystery."

"Ohh do tell."

"It turns out that Taylor has installed a generator, which by the way he was meant to ask my permission to install, but he didn't. So the generator is using some of the wiring…" Luke starts to think of something, "That powers… this……" Luke voice trailed off. Lorelai see Luke's face change, it was like watching a light bulb switch on.

"The little! I can't believe…" Luke points to the window. "He knew, but he didn't say anything to anyone. He knew." Luke places Lorelai's milk shake in front of her and storms out the door.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Luke didn't answer Lorelai. Lorelai tracked his progress down the street and into Taylor's. Lorelai takes a drink from her shake and settles in for the show.

"You knew! I don't know how, but you knew about the black out and you didn't tell anyone." Lorelai could her Luke's shouting resonating through the walls. She could see Taylor answer but she couldn't hear him.

"I want to call a town meeting now."

Taylor said something else, Luke lent forward and something quietly. He then turned around and left. Taylor stood there looking like a stunned mullet who was slightly out raged.

Luke storms back into the dinner. He goes out back and comes back out holding a huge metal pot and a metal spoon. He walks back out the door and starts banging the pot, shouting out, "Town Meeting."


	13. Pick a Scoop

Pick a Scoop

Rory was debating which number to call. It was a chose between three.

She was unsure who would speak to her, scoop number one was more likely to provide insight but less likely to speak to her.

Option number two was more likely to speak to her but had the insight of a pig in mud.

And scoop three would be the hardest call to make. Scoop three would have the info, but if scoop three refused to speak to her, then Rory knew that really would be no hope for her and Logan. Right now she needed there to be hope.

Rory debated a bit more over which number to call, out loud she said, "Just pick a scoop. You have to start scooping some where." Rory flicked through the numbers one last time, she stopped on one of the numbers long enough to hit the call button.

"Hey you've reach Colin. I can't answer my stupidly small phone right now. Leave a message and I will call you back once I find my phone."

"Ahh Colin, Hi. It's Rory, Gilmore. I was hopping that you could call me back some time today. I'm up late so please call any time. Umm ok bye." Rory hung up the phone.

That call had been harder to make than she thought.

She started to replay the message in her head. She started to stress that she hadn't said enough in the message. What if Colin got the message but refused to call her back, she would never know if it was because he hated her, or if it was because he couldn't find his phone.

Rory decided to call Colin again, just to be safe. "Hi its Rory again. Look even if you call me just to say that you don't want to speak to me that's fine, I'd like to know if we're not speaking. And yes I'm aware that it's a contradiction to call me to tell me that you're not speaking to me, but it would be nice to know. Bye...Again."


	14. Spinsters, Spite and Scotch

Spinsters, Spite and Scotch

Spinsters, Spite and Scotch

At first, after the phone call Logan had had an incredible sense of relief. He had felt that he said everything that had been unsaid. He felt that he would be able to heal and move on. But he started replaying the conversation over and over in his head. He kept hearing her crying, and every tear that he imagined running down her face eroded away any sense of relief that he had been feeling. Rory had sound so heart broken over the phone. Logan had convinced himself that Rory didn't love him and that's why she had said no. But for someone who didn't love him, the tears he heard her cry sounded so lost, lost about him, about them.

He kept asking himself how he was able to walk away so easily. No it hadn't been easy, he reasoned to himself. It had hurt like hell, but he figured that Rory saying no meant that she didn't love him. After listening to her crying last night maybe he was wrong. Logan felt his self righteous surety slipping away even further. He ignored that nagging feeling that he had in the pit of his stomach. Logan started to think about calling her, not to reconcile, but to make sure that she would be okay. He had spent three years with her. It was only natural that he would want to make sure that she would be okay. Three years of feelings just don't go away. But if he called her what would he say? He'd said it all last night. He still meant everything that he said. He didn't want to move backwards and a long distance relationship was just that, moving backwards.

Then it occurred to Logan that there had been two unexpected phone calls last night. Before he even knew what he was doing he had picked up his phone and dialed a number that he hadn't willingly called since, well, ever.

"Logan I didn't expect to hear from you so soon." Mitchum Huntzberger couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice.

"Why did you call last night?" Logan skipped all pleasantries with his father. He was not in the mood for faking.

"Logan this may shock you but I was concerned. I spoke with Rory at a function last night. She informed me that the two of you had broken up."

"So you're telling me, that after 25 years of shear indifference towards me, that you are now deciding to show an interest in me and my life?"

"Logan, you're my son. I've only ever wanted what's best for you."

"No dad you've only ever wanted what's best for the family image. Not what's best for me."

"You know you're the second person to say almost the exact same thing to me in less than twenty four hours."

"Well at least someone had the balls to tell you the truth at least once."

"Well she certainly developed a set of balls particularly when it came to you. Rory made it perfectly clear on several occasions that she disapproved of my interactions with you." Logan paused, _She?_ _Rory?_

"Logan, what really happened between you and Rory?"

"Why do you care? You never even liked her." Logan winced at how weak his voice sounded, he rested his head in his hand.

Mitchum drew a deep breath. "That's not true Logan, that was you mother and grandfather speaking. I'll admit that at first I didn't see anything special, but she has surprised me on more than one occasion. The biggest surprise was the changes that happened to you while you were with her. We all saw the changes in you, you mother and grandfather included. Logan, what happened?"

Logan wasn't even sure why he was answering. It's not like his father had earned the right to hear the answer. "I asked her to marry me, she said no. We broke up."

"Why did you break up?"

"Jesus Dad! Weren't you listening? She said no! She said she wasn't ready, that she didn't love me. So it ended, it's over."

Mitchum could smell a lie in that. They way Logan rushed to say it meant there was a lie. "Did she really say that she didn't love you?"

"Not in those exact words. But if she felt the same as me then she would have said yes. The fact that she said no means she doesn't love me." So there was the lie, Rory never said that she didn't love his son. That what his son had heard.

"Logan that's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard you say. And you've said some pretty stupid things over the years. You're smart when you apply yourself, but then you go and make an idiotic assumption like that. Please enlighten me, what fact was that statement based on?" Logan was silent on his end of the phone. He didn't know how to answer his father. Mitchum let the silence go for a few moments longer.

"Logan, if there's one thing I've learnt in life and business is that when there is this much passion involved in any failed deal that it's not over. That there's still room to negotiate, you just have to give the deal time."

"Dad I was asking her to marry me. Not to merge companies" Logan held the glass of scotch that he'd been nursing since the call from Rory. It had been over an hour since _that_ phone call.

"It's that same thing. You presented a deal wasn't ready to be presented. You made it look like a hostile take over." Mitchum changed his tone, business speak didn't always work with his son. "The buyer wasn't ready. She wasn't ready. You pushed her, didn't get what you wanted, so you walked away. Just like you always do. If something doesn't go your way you walk away."

"Why do you even care?" Logan took a deep drink from his glass finally finishing it.

"Logan one of the greatest lessons I've learnt in life was working out when to walk away. It took me a long time to work out when to walk and when to fight. I think if you keep walking away that you will regret it."

"So what you think that I'm going to die a spinster in my mansion surrounded by cats."

"No worse. I think that you will settle. And you will resent the fact that you settled for the rest of you life and take it out on the people around you."

"Gee Dad, this has all been swell advice coming from a man who has been playing around behind Mom's back for years. So does that mean that you settled with Mom? Tell me Dad, how many women have you slept with since marrying Mom? Fifty. Sixty? Is the fact that you settled justification for cheating on her?"

"We are not having this discussion."

"Then shut the hell up about my life."

"You always amaze me, just when I think that your growing up to you turn around and take two steps back. It's almost like you do it out of spite. The only thing I can't work out this time is who your spite is aimed at. Normally it aimed at me or your mother. But this time you only seem to be hurting yourself and Rory."

Logan for the second time in two days hung up on his dad.

Sorry that it's been so long since I've updated. I've been busy, but today I was home sick with tonsillitis, I've got heaps of writing done. I'll update as the chapters are finished.


	15. Ten to Fifteen

Ten to Fifteen

Ten to Fifteen

Luke frog marches Taylor to the front of the impromptu meeting. Taylor was protesting, "Now Luke there is no need to get physical."

Luke looks back out at the gathering, "He knew about all of this. I don't know how, but he knew that the power was going to be out."

"Well I think you over estimate me Luke. I didn't _know _that the power was going to be turned off."

Luke looks back at Taylor. He looks him eye to eye, pokes him in the chest and says, "But you knew enough to install generators in all of you businesses. Now explain it to the town." Luke stood to the side of the stage and folded his arms over his chest. He succeeded in looking very menacing.

Taylor swallowed hard and backed further away from Luke to stand behind his dais. He pulled out a hand held battery operated fan and switched it on. The motors faint hum could be heard by everyone in the meeting.

"People, People this is highly irregular. We are not due for another meeting for several days."  
Gypsy shouts out, "We don't care. Just tell us what's happening with the power." This was meet by a chorus of agreement.  
"Yeah common Taylor I have an Inn full of sweaty guests and I don't mean sweaty in the good way." Lorelai shouts out.  
"Well then Lorelai, I would of anticipated that an establishment of you caliber would have its own back up generator."  
"We do Taylor, but it's only for running the essentials. It can't run the air con twenty-four-seven. It's just a temporary back up."

"Well if you had been here last town meeting then you would have known about the anticipated power outage."

"I _was_ at the last town meeting Taylor." Lorelai says in a huff.

Taylor spoke in his most condescending voice, "Well then you should recollect that I addressed the matter in depth."

"Ahh, no, I don't."

Jackson shouts out "And neither do I!"

"Please don't tell me that you have all collectively become gold fish." Taylor looks out at the town gathered before him. He was hopping to see someone who remembered the last town meeting. But all he saw was a group of hot, sweaty very unhappy people  
"The citizens of Stars Hollow were given more than adequate notice about the maintenance to the town's power supplies."  
"When?" Luke shouts out, he had given up his trademark flannel for just a grey t-shirt.  
"Did no one read the minuets from the last town meeting?"  
Babette, who had yet to change out of her leopard print nightie, shouts out, "Why would we? We were here."  
"Well I am very disappointed in you all. Reading the town minuets as published in the Stars Hollow Gazette is a vital part of your civic duty. The minuets not only act as an official record of all town meetings, they also act a record for the future generations to refer to, so that they can see how life was..."  
"That's nice Taylor, but what's you point?" Miss Patty asked whilst fanning herself with a Japanese fan.  
"The point is that if people read the minuets they would also be aware that any issues that didn't make it onto the town meeting agenda are addressed in the minuets."  
"But that's not how minuets work." Jackson stands up and keeps talking. "Minuets are a summary of what was discussed in a meeting. It's not the place introduce new information."  
"People it has always been this way. Has no one ever read the minuets?"  
The town shouted out a collective "No"  
"Well if you had taken the time to read the minuets you would all know that they are doing some general maintenance to the towns main power supply and that it may or may not cause power outages."  
"Taylor we have been without power since last night!"  
"When will the power be back on Taylor? I have a pregnant wife at home who is complaining about the heat." Jackson shouts out in his best whinny voice.

Kirk stands up in nothing but a pair of tidy-whitey's. "Yes, and I don't know how much longer I can put up with mother complaining about me wearing my underwear."

Luke looks at Kirk in disgust, "We're all complaining about you walking around in you underwear."

Taylor clears his throat, "I have spoken to the power company and they assure me that the power will be back on in a day or so."  
"A day or so! Taylor I have guest. A day or so isn't good enough."

"Well I don't know what you expect me to do. It's for the towns entire safety that these lines get up graded."

"Are we in any immediate danger?"

"Well no. But the longer we leave the matter the more dangerous the situation will become."

"Well how dangerous? When is the apocalypse scheduled?"

"Well if we leave the power lines as they are, in ten to fifteen they are going to start corroding."

"Ten to fifteen what? Days? Weeks?" Lorelai asked.

"Years." The whole town groaned. They couldn't believe that they were suffering through one of the hottest days on record because the power lines may start eroding in ten to fifteen years.

Lorelai shouts out above all of the ruckus. "So if we got the power company to switch the power back on we're not going to blow up? Get electrocuted? Or be exposed to potentially harmful electro radio gamma wave rays, which would cause us to all become mutants. Thus stating a war between us and the rest of the non-mutants?"

"Well yes. There would be no immediate adverse effects if we put the maintenance off. But we would be taking our lives into our own hands. Not to mention the cost of delaying the works."

"Taylor no body cares. We're dying here. The heat is killing us. Just get the darn power put back on." Jackson calls out.

"As long as you understand that …"

"We understand that every time we turn a switch on that we are taking our lives into our own hands. I think that we are all prepared to take the risk." Luke looked around the town meeting. He was glade to see that everyone was nodding their heads in agreement.

"Fine I will call the power company."


	16. Yep, Nope, Yep

Ten to Fifteen

Yep, Nope, Yep

"Any word from scoop number one yet?" Bennie whispered to Rory. They were sitting in the middle of a very boring Q and A session. The person runny it was asking the most mundane questions. So far nothing news worthy had been said in almost an hour of talking.

"No, not yet."

"When did you call him?"

"Yesterday."

Kerry who was sitting behind Rory and Bennie lent forward, "Are you guys talking about the scoop?"

"Yep." Bennie said.

"Has he called back?"

"Nope."

Kerry looked at Rory and said, "It's time to call the next scoop."

Rory looked at Bennie for her opinion. Bennie looked back and answered "Yep."

I know this was a really short chapter, that why I updated 2 chapters at once. Once again thanks for all the feed back.


	17. Queen’s Birthday and the Second Scoop

Queen's Birthday and the Second Scoop

Queen's Birthday and the Second Scoop

Rory had no idea why she didn't start by calling scoop number two. This call was easy. When she saw his name her tummy didn't suddenly become infest with butterflies. When the phone started ringing she didn't break out into a sweet and there was no sense of dread when the phone line went quiet just before the phone was answered. However the sudden, influx of very loud noise into her ear made her jump in her seat and remove the phone from her ear for a brief moment.

Finn was obviously at a party. At first all Rory could hear was the music and the unmistakable sound of lots of people in a very small place having a very good time whilst getting drunk. Then very faintly Rory could hear a female's voice.

"Happy Birthday!"

"What?" Rory felt that she must of miss heard the person on the other end of the phone. All of a sudden the back ground noise went quite, she could still hear the music but it was faint, like it was now coming from another room.

"Happy Birthday!" This time there was no mistaking what the bright bubbly and slightly drunk voice had said.

"It's not my birthday."

"Well of cause not silly. It's Elizabeth's."

Rory was more confused than ever. "Who's Elizabeth?"

"You know, _The Queen_."

"Ohh, Queen Elizabeth."

"Don't you just love her? I mean she's rich she gets to wear a crown and has places and people waiting on her and everything. Oh and she's really nice too. She gives everyone a long weekend to help celebrate her birthday."

"You know that countries that are members of the Commonwealth are the only one's who get to have the Queen's birthday off?"

"What?"

"Well only countries that have the Queen as there head of state have her birthday off." Rory could sense the confusion from the other person so she elaborated. "And were a republic, our head of state is the president."

"But, I thought that it was a long weekend"

"Nope, it's just a regular two day weekend."

"But Finn said that I was in New England, which means that I'm practically in England, which means I get a long weekend." Rory admired Finn's ability to spin crap. It rivaled her mother talent. The noise suddenly increased again. The person on the other end of the phone had either rejoined the party, or the party had joined her.

"Hello?" The bubbly voice made it a question. Obviously she had said something that Rory missed because of all of the noise.

"I'm still here! I want to speak to Finn." Rory put her finger in her other ear and strained to listen to the other person.

"What?"

Rory leant forward and yelled, "I want to speak to Finn." Rory looked around. The bus was that noisy that only the people in the immediate area had turned to look at her. She gave them an apologetic smile and went back to concentrating on the phone call.

"Who's Finn?"

"The guy who's phone this is. You know tall, loud constantly drunk and he's an Aussie."

"Ohh Finn."

"Yes Finn," Rory couldn't help but speak simply. This person was ether drunk, dipsy or both. Rory was betting on the latter, "Is he there?"

"I haven't seen him for a while."

"Could you pass on a message for me?"

"Umm I guess I could, only I don't have a pen, or paper."

Rory thought quickly, she needed a new plan. One that would required very little from the drunken person on the other end of the phone. "Okay umm, what's your name?"

"**Sheila**." Sheila's voice was as bright as a button. It was as if she doesn't get asked for her name very often. Rory couldn't help to think that it was just two perfect that Finn would know a woman named Sheila.  
"Look Sheila," Rory was very proud that she didn't laugh when she said the name out loud. "I'm going to hang up and call back straight away. When the phone rings do not answer it. Let it go to Finn's message bank, I will leave a message. All you need to do is not answer the phone and give it to Finn. Can you do that?"

"Sure, Bye." The phone went dead. Rory looked at her phone for the briefest of moments, suffering from surprise on how the conversation went. She recovered called Finn again.

"Hello my love. It is with the greatest sorrow that I have missed your call, but if you leave a message I will endeavor to return you affections as soon as possible."

Rory laughed, she had missed Finn.

"Hey Finn, its Rory. Nice message you have there. But isn't it a little awkward when a guy is calling you? I mean you sound like you hitting on everyone who calls you. Anyway, could you please call me back as soon as you can? I kinda need to speak to you. It's important, call any time. Bye Finn, talk to you soon."


	18. Good

**Good**

"Hey" Luke called out from the front door.

Lorelai shouts out, "Ooo good timing, come help me."

"Where are you?"

"In the hall."

Luke comes in to find Lorelai standing on a chair, reaching up into the very top of her broom cupboard. Lorelai finally manages to get the box down from the top shelf and passes Luke the box.

"This is damned heavy. What's in it?"

Lorelai hops down off the chair, "I have no idea."

"I thought I got you to get ride of all your useless crap when we renovated."

"Hey my stuff isn't crap. I have nothing but good stuff."

"The bright orange cash box that didn't lock and had holes big enough for quarters to slip throw was good stuff?"

"Well no, that was good crap. You can't get cashboxes that color anymore"

"So where would you like me to put this very heavy box that you have no idea what's in it?"  
"In the garage would be good. On the bench, not on the floor."

Luke came back in and found Lorelai steaming a light blue ball gown. The dress was hanging from the banister. He sat down on the couch and found that Lorelai had placed a bottle of beer on the side table for him.

"I can't believe you brought one of those things." Luke refers the hand held, blue garment steam cleaner that she was using on the dress.

"Hey don't insult Papa Smerf. He looked so adorable on the add. And the way he can steam all the creases out of cloths is just amazing."

Luke gestures to the dress, "Are you going some where?"

"What? No, this isn't mine."

"Oh, okay."

Lorelai keeps steaming the dress, "Luke can we talk?"

"That doesn't sound good."

"No it's good, well I hope it's good. Well I think it's good and I'm hoping that you will think its good too. I wanted to talk to you about you moving in with me. I mean don't get me wrong, if you don't find it good yet then I'm good with that. I just think that it would be good. As you said the other night we have wasted so much time and I don't want to waste any more time. Not that I think things as they are is a waste. I think that things are good. It's just that I want more than good. I want great, amazing, spectacular. But it just feels right, I mean us, we feel good, right? I know that it's really soon, but it's not like we're picking up where we left off. Which is good cos we can't take a steep back, a steep back or just standing in the same foot prints isn't good. It's bad. It's good to move forward. And this would be moving forward, because last time you never really moved in. Not full time anyway, which was good then, but we can do better than good. Ooo and when April is in town she can use Rory's room. She'll like that, more privacy. Every teenager thinks that privacy is good, and how long are you planning on letting me go until you say something?'

"I wanted to how many times you could use good in one monologue."

"And?" Lorelai puts down the steamer. She stands back to make sure that all the wrinkles are out of the dress.

"You impressed the hell out of me. Did you know that you just said good sixteen times in one ramble session. I think that's some kind of record." Luke watched Lorelai as she placed the dress in a garment bag.

Lorelai turns to Luke after zipping the bag closed and says, "Darn and Mr Guinness Book isn't in town until next week. What a waste of all that good."

"Yeah it's a real shame because look at all the good that comes from holding a Guinness world record."

"Fame, fortune. Getting invited to 'A' list events." Lorelai almost sounded wistful.

"Yeah but we all know how it ends. After awhile the fame starts to wear off. And your left with nothing but you posse of friends who use all your money and then leave when your broke. Then you have to into a rehab center, shave your head and then sell your story to Entertainment Tonight. Then it starts all over again."

"So what do you think?" Lorelai asked as she sat down next to Luke on the couch.

Luke takes a drink from his beer "I don't think that I would like you with a shaved head, so I think you should skip the whole fame thing."

"No, about you moving in?"

"Well, I think it would be good. And you're right, April really does need her own room. And it would be _good_."

"Really?"

"Really."

"So when do you want to start moving in?"

"I've got Cesar opening the Diner tomorrow. I could start in the morning."

"Hmm, the morning doesn't really work for me."

"What about Monday or Tuesday then?"

"Well I'm really busy next week. The Inn has to big tour groups coming through."

"Well how does now sound?"

Lorelai smiles, leans in and kisses Luke, "Now sounds good."


	19. Scoop Number Three

**Scoop Number Three**

Rory was sitting in the motels bar. She was nursing her third gin martini in an hour and was on her fourth bowl of chips. She was sitting alone, Bennie, Kerry and some of the other reporters had gone out, but Rory wasn't feeling very social. But she was feeling incredibly impatient. She had yet to hear back from Colin or Finn. She was starting to wonder is they were snubbing her. She had this desperate feeling inside of her. That every second she waited for them to call her back that Logan was slipping further away. She resolved herself to call scoop number three. There was a three day break coming up on the campaign trail and she needed to know is she would be booking tickets for home, or for San Francisco.

Rory always knew that this call would be the hardest. If this scoop said no, then that would be it. If this person said that there was nothing left to save. That it would be the truth. That Logan was moving on, away from her. Rory was grateful that the phone didn't ring for long. She felt her nerve slipping away with every ring.

"Hello." A familiar voice answered the phone.

"Hi Honor. It's Rory Gilmore."

"Oh my god, Rory hi." Rory couldn't work out if Honor sounded shocked or pleased to hear her voice, "I hope you don't mind me calling you?"

"No, not at all. Just because you turned my brother down doesn't mean we can't still be friends." Rory cringed at that remark, she felt like she already had the answer to her question.

"Oh god! Rory I'm sorry that came out sooo catty. I didn't mean it like that."

"Honor its fine. I get it, I'm probably the last person you want to talk to. Umm sorry to of bothered you." Rory was about to hang up.

"No Rory wait. Please I didn't mean it that way, honest. I just didn't expect that you would call me."

"Yeah well, I wouldn't be calling, except… I mean it's not like…I was just wanting to ask…"

"Please, please, please tell me that you and my brother are going to get back together."

"That's kinda why I'm calling. I don't know. I'd liked to, especially considering that I never wanted us to end, but I need some insight."

"What do you mean, you never wanted you guys to break up? Logan said, that you said that you didn't love him."

"What! I never said that. When did I say that?" Rory was shocked at this statement. She replayed the last few conversations that she had had with Logan. She couldn't recall one time when she said that she didn't love him.

"When you turned him down. He said that you turned him down because you didn't love him."

"Hey wow there, Nelly. I never said that. I said that I wasn't ready to get married. I said that I wanted to do the long distance thing. He is the one who said all or nothing."

Honor sounded exasperated, "Please tell me that the little idiot didn't say all or nothing."

"He did, he said that we ether took the next step or we break up."

"Rory I'm so sorry, I've been thinking all these mean things about you, when I should of been aiming them at my brother."

Rory couldn't help but feel the need to defend Logan. "Honor its not his fault that he feels the way he does."

"No, it's our parents. They successfully stunted the emotion growth of their children. Logan is like a little emotional bonsai tree. He's fully formed but…stunted."

"Yeah I know. Look Honor, I want to talk to him in person, I think I will go no matter what you say. But I want to know if I'm going as the resurrector of if I'm going as a priest to say the last rights and put that part of my life to rest."

"Rory I don't know. I've never seen him this hurt. Look, let me talk to him and I'll get back to you."

"Okay, thanks."

"Okay, bye."

Rory sat at the bar for a little longer, but is felt exposed. She felt like everyone was looking at her knowing that she had a broken heart. In the end, the imaginary pity vibes that were being sent her way got to be too much. She paid her tab and went back to her room.


	20. Grandis Actuosum

**Grandis Actuosum**

Rory was back in her motel room. She had changed into her P.J's and was reading her emails. Lane had sent her new pictures of the boys. Rory's favorite was of Steve and Quan sitting on Lanes lap as she sat in front of her drum kit. Lane looked so happy.

Her second favorite photo was of Steve sending projectile yellow vomit on Lanes drum set.

Her third favorite shot was of the look of horror on Lane's face at the vomit on her kit, and the satisfied smile on Steve's face. Quan looked like he was laughing.

Rory's phone started ringing, she looked at her phone and it flashed COLIN. Rory was very nervous when she answered the phone.  
"Hello."

"Rory please tell me you're calling to tell me that you're getting back with Huntzberger?" Rory was happy to hear that Colin sounded like he thought a reconciliation would be a positive thing.

"Gee just get straight to the point why don't you Colin? No time for chit chat."

"Well?"

Rory drew a deep breath, "I don't know. I don't think that he wants me back."

"Please for my sanity, you have to try. Logan has been a miserable bastard ever since you two broke up. I want the old Logan back."

"I spoke to him the other day and it seemed pretty final to me." Rory couldn't keep the dejection out of her voice.

"Ignore that. Years of running the society gauntlet have made it almost second nature for him to hide any weakness. Huntzberger's cannot show weakness. Besides if you didn't sense a faint whiff of hope you wouldn't be calling me." Colin sound entirely too smug for his own good.

"Well that's my problem. Besides the fact that you used the word _whiff_, I can't work out if its wishful thinking."

"Ahh and there in lies your quandary. Whilst Logan may be presenting an exterior that appears resolved that the pair of you are not fated to be together, your wondering if in the inner most sanctum of his mind if he is secretly pinning for you?"

"Well yeah, that's what I'm thinking. You know you're an amazingly perceptive man Colin McCray and that's why I called you. You know Logan almost better than anyone else."

"Thank you, flattery will get you ever where. In my professional opinion, that was formed after much consultation and deliberation. I deduce that if you were to pursue the matter of you feelings for the said subject that whilst he would initially display reluctant behavior, that with persistence and a _grandis actuosum_ that your endeavors would not be fruitless."

"_Grandis actuosum?" _Rory hade know idea what a grandis actuosum was. It sounded like something weird sexual position. Rory hoped that it was nothing of the sort. Sex had never been a problem between her and Logan, It was the emotional stuff that they had to work at.

"Grandis actuosum, Latin for grand gesture."

"A grand gesture hey?" Rory perked at this idea. Her very own grand gesture. She liked the sound of that.

"Something that shows him the magnitude of your feelings for him."

"Thanks Colin I have to go. You have no idea how much help you've been."

"Okay keep me posted. If you need any help with the class project just give me a call and I will gather the team and provide any assistance required. Anything to get Danny and Sandy back together again."

Suddenly something else Colin said became important, "Who else have you been talking to about this?"

"Well primarily Finn and Honor."

"Honor?"

"Yeah, she isn't as sure as Finn and I are that you are fated to be together. I personally think that she is more scared of medaling where she's not wanted."

"Look Colin, let me think about it a little. I'll call you if I need any help okay?"

"Sure talk to you soon." The phone went dead before Rory could reply.

_I know that this is just a short chapter but I'm not sure if I will be able to update this weekend, so I thought that I would give you something now. If I got the spelling of Quan wrong I'm sorry, but I'm without my GG DVD's to check up on the spelling. Just to let you know I've pretty much finished this story, 7 chapters to go unless inspiration strikes and I can take the story further._

_F.Y.I I'm a very weak person and respond well to reviews. Whether they good, bad or indifferent. Whose know if I get enough of them it just might persuade me to find time in my busy schedule to update again this weekend?_


	21. Tricorne Hat

**Tricorne Hat**

It was late at night, Bennie was asleep but she had yet to start snoring. Rory was grateful for the quite it allowed her to think. She had done a lot of thinking since she had spoken to Colin.

On her lap top she had two windows open. One had flights that would land her in Hartford and home. The other was San Francisco. She had been debating for hours on which to do.

Rory jumped in the silence when her mobile phone started to ring. Rory smiles when she sees who is calling.

"Hi Mom."

"Rory, Luke just moved in!" Lorelai was sitting on the couch. Luke was in the bathroom upstairs, putting his toiletries away. Rory could almost see the giant smile on her Mom's face.

"And you just had to tell me this so late at night?" Rory wasn't upset by her mothers late night call. Rory just missed baiting her.

"That's what Luke said. " Lorelai deepens her voice to impersonate Luke, "Don't call Rory, she's probably asleep. The news will be just as thrilling in the morning. At least one of us should be able to have a good night sleep." Lorelai returning to her normal voice, "But what Luke doesn't understand it that it wasn't official until you knew."

"So now that you told me it's official. The fact that his cloths are now in you're wardrobe didn't make it official? His shoes under your bed, his tool box in the hall cupboard? None of this made it official, but one phone call to me and its all official?"

"Sure does kid."

"So do I have any other officiating powers? Or is it very specific to you and Luke? Think about, my mere knowledge of an event could make it official. Then we would be having all sorts of special days. Like you wouldn't believe the number of people who say they have to go to the bathroom. Would I have to start announcing it? Would I have to declare a national bathroom day? Or national I'm gonna sneeze day? There are not enough days in a year for me to go making all these events official."

"Ooo that would make you one of those medieval town announcing guys." Lorelai's voice started to fade at the end of the sentence. She knew what she wanted to call Rory but she couldn't think of the name of it for the life of her.

"A Town Crier?"

"Yes!"

"Do I get to wear a cute outfit?" Rory asked.

"Of cause. You'd be decked out in a red and gold robe. With white breeches and black boots with thoes big gold buckles and a bell. Ooo and a spiffy tricorne hat with a big white plume coming out of it."

"I wasn't sure on the whole ensumblay that you were describing, but you sold it to me with the spiffy tricorne hat. What girl doesn't want a plume coming out of her tricorne hat."

"Ahh yes the tricorne hat," Lorelai almost sounds whistful. "We all love the tricone hats until they take out some ones eye."

"And how would my hat take out someones eye?"

"It's a tricorne hat, it has three corners to it. So it's three times as likely to take out someones eye than a normal hat."

"Ahh yes, because thoes hat corners are mighty sharp corners."

"There sharp on all the top of the line hats."

"And of cause mine would be top of the line."

"Nothing but the best for you kid."

"Aww shucks Mom."

Lorelai sighed, "It's just not the same without you here."

"I know Mom. I miss you too." Rory smiled. She was so happy for her Mom and Luke. And in that moment of happiness for her mother, Rory became sure of what she was going to do.

"Thanks Mom."

"What for? Giving you life? Teaching you the difference between big hair and volume?"

"For everything. I gotta go. I love you. Bye."

"Bye Rory, I love you too. And be careful with your tricorne hat."

Rory smiled at her phone for a moment longer, this sense of surety was the most comforting thing that she had worn in weeks. And with this sense of surety wrapped around her, Rory made up her mind and booked a flight, whilst making a phone call.

The phone rang briefly before it was answered.

"Hey. Is the offer to help still open?"


	22. Next time I’ll letter drop

This was originally going to be three different chapters, but it just didn't seem to work. Though I'm sure that you guys will not complain about getting one big update, instead of several little ones.

**Next time I'll letter drop**

Rory walked out of the departure gate to a sight that she hadn't seen in months. Colin and Finn.  
Finn was wearing a black hat just like a chauffeur would wear and Colin was holding a sign reading Reporter Girl. Next to them already sat her luggage. Rory was unsure how to greet them but the boys seemed to know. Finn through his arms around her and lifted her into the air, causing Rory to drop her carry on bag.

"What are you guys doing here?" Rory laughed as Finn put her down, Colin went in for a much more subdued hug.

"Well Love, when Colin here called me to say that Louis Lane was going after Superman, how could I not want to go along for the ride."

Rory smiled looking from one to another, "How did you know what flight I would be on?"

Colin answered most sincerely, "Never underestimate who Finn has slept with."

Rory wasn't quite sure that she understood the logic of that remark, but she let it slide. She looked at both of them, chewing her bottom lip, "So you guys aren't mad at me."

Neither Colin nor Finn spoke to her for a moment. They did the eye flick between them until Colin finally spoke.  
"Well we can't lie. When Logan came knocking on my door at four in the morning, looking like an extra from Flight Club, I can't say I was pleased."

"What! He was hurt? Did he get in a fight? Is he ok?" Rory was over come by worry.

"He's fine Love, nothing that a steak and some aspirin couldn't fix." Finn said in his obnoxiously cheery voice. Finn draped his arms around Colin and Rory and started to lead them away from departures and towards the parking lot.

"He never really told us what happened, but it got around that he had asked you to marry him. Add that and the steak on his eye and drink in his hand... I didn't need to go to Yale to figure out what happened." Rory looked away, she felt bad. This was all her fault, she should never have let Logan walk away like that.

"So here we are my lady, determined to assist you with fixing all that is wrong with the world." Colin announced over dramatically.

"Thanks guys but don't get you hopes up, Logan may not want me back. I don't want you to feel like that you have to be here."

Finn looked at Rory he was beaming with fake sincerity. "None sense. Every epic journey needs companions. We contemplated procuring two hobbits, an elf and a wizard but we felt that that had been done to death." Rory laugh as she got into the back seat of Finn's black Hummer.

* * *

It was dark as Rory approached the house. She hoped that she would be able to sneak in and out before anyone knew that she had been home. She had left Colin and Finn in the car debating who would win in a fight, Rupert Murdock or Donald Trump. Finn was insisting that despite that fact that Rupert was ten years older that he would whip Donald's ass.

The front door opened without a squeak. Rory smiled, Luke was clearly back in the house. Rory tip toed to her room. She opened the door and turned on the light. She looked in her wardrobe and found the first of the two items that she was looking for. In a dress bag was a light blue satin dress. The second item that she had come for was much more allusive. She looked in ever nook and cranny of her wardrobe. In her dresser draws under the bed and yet she still couldn't find it. The fact that she had found her favorite pair of socks, and a cola flavored Push Pop was of little consolation. She sat on her bed, sucking on the Push Pop and debated on whether to wake her mother when the decision was made for her.

"Rory what are you doing here?" Rory jumped in the air and turned around to face Luke. "Luke you scared me!" Luke was standing in the door way of Rory's room, fully dressed and armed with a base ball bat.

"Well your lucky that's all I did." Luke walked into Rory's room and placed his bat on her bed.

"Rory can I ask what are you doing here at five in the morning?"

"Only if I can ask why you're fully dressed at five in the morning?"

"I've got deliveries at the Dinner."

"Well I'm looking for a rocket ship."

"A what?"

Rory answered very enthusiastically, almost like she was speaking to a child. "A rocket ship. About yay high, silver and in the shape of as rocket ship."

Luke sounded exasperated "I know what a rocket ship is."

"Well you seemed a little unsure there. I mean you were around for most of the great space explorations, so I didn't think that I would have to explain what a rocket ship was. You were alive when man landed on the moon."

"Man did not land on the moon in a rocket ship. They landed on the moon in a Lunar Modula."

"Well isn't someone a closet space invader." Luke ignored the last comment.

"What I was unsure of was why you were here unannounced at five a.m. looking for a rocket ship."

"I didn't know that I needed to make an announcement."

Luke started to babble scared that he had hurt Rory's feelings, "No its your house you can come any time..."

"I mean now that I know, I'll book a marching band to announce my next visit. I'll arrange a letter drop the week preceding my home coming."

"I didn't... you know..."

"That it's five in the morning and that it's strange that I didn't mention that I was coming home. Its fine Luke, I get it. I was just hoping to be in and out as quick as possible. And if I called mom she..."

"Would have been the one to book the marching band and arrange the letter drop."  
"You do know her well."

"Well I try. So what's with the early morning visit?"

"I'm on a mission and I need that rocket to complete it."

"Well I don't know where the rocket ship is, you're going to have to ask your mother."

"Wish me luck for a speedy return." Rory went to head out her bedroom door.

"Hey can I ask what the mission is."

"Well I could tell you but then I would have to kill you."

"Ok, good luck Rocket Man."

"Luke was that an Elton John reference I just heard?" Luke looked a little embarrassed. "Well your mother has strange taste in music. Its not that I like Elton."

"Well live long and prosper Luke."

Rory made her way past Luke and was about to head up stairs, "By the way Luke, there's no shame in liking Elton John. When a man sings that many songs you bound to like one or two of them eventually."

Rory made her way up to her Mom's room. She passed Paul Anka on the landing. He was asleep on his back, his was using his favorite black pump as a pillow. "Great guard dog you are."

Rory found her mom in bed, asleep. She lay down next to Lorelai.

"Hey Mom?"

Lorelai still seemingly asleep answered, "Mmhhmm."

"Do you know where my rocket ship is?"

Lorelai gave a very mumbled reply, "In the garage."

"Thanks mom."

"Mmmm." Rory got out of bed and was just about in the hallway when a still half asleep Lorelai called out. "Say hi to Logan for me." Rory smiled and made her way down the dark hall.

Rory made her way back outside, she waved to Colin and Finn. When she entered the garage she found not what she was expecting. Sitting in the middle of the bench, was a cardboard box labeled LOGAN. It was her Logan box, her box of memories about her life with him. Rory smiled, her mother knew her so well.

Rory struggled back to the car, carrying a ball gown and a heavy box. Colin and Finn jumped out of the car and relieved her of her burden. They placed the goods in the car. "Can we go now Love?"

"Yes Finn, I have every thing I need."

After they had been driving for about ten minuets something didn't seem right to Rory. "Ahh guys, isn't the airport the other way?"

"Very sharp, you should be a reporter." Colin didn't even look back at Rory.

"Then where are we going? I have a flight to catch."

"Well Rory love we still have one last item to procure for this quest."

"We do?"

"Come come now, surly you remember there were three things you mentioned that you needed to get for this grand gesture." Colin finally looked back at Rory to see her blank face.

"Ohh no! I was just kidding. I didn't mean it."

"But we spent hours planning this. Look we even got you a ski mask. And I must say I think it will go splendidly with your Hello Kitty t-shirt."

"Ahh yes splendid!" Finn called out in agreement.

"But I can't commit a crime."

"No true, you can. If I recall correctly you have committed a crime before, and with Huntzberger if I'm not mistaken." Colin had a small smirk on his face.

"Well as much as I love him, I am not going to steel another boat for him."

"Who said anything about steeling a boat? I boat will not fit in this car."

"So what are you planning on us steeling?" Colin just looked at her knowingly. Rory thought hard about her earlier conversation with Colin on the phone. Then she remembered. "No! We can't. I won't.."

"Look, Rory, if you want Logan back this needs to be big. You have been a forbidden subject, we can't even say words that are remotely close to your name."

Finn lamented, "Yes it been terrible, we have had to curve all of discussions about rowing. Or Tori Spelling."

"Cory…". Colin replied.

"Dory…" Finn said.

"Story…" Colin added to the list.

"Or South America." Finn noted

"South America?" Rory could not see the relevant of South America.

"Yes love, some of the biggest exporters of coffee beans in the current global economy, are located in South America. Though at the rate that Vietnam's exports are growing we may have to add them to the forbidden list. And I refuse to give up my favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Palo Alto."

"Any mention of those subjects and Logan ran from the room, or ran to work or ran to a bottle of scotch. And then after the scotch he isn't doing so much running."

They sat in silence for a few moments.

Rory sat in thought for a moment, Logan sounded really messed up. "So you think this is going to be that important?"

"Indubitably," Colin sounded cheerful, he knew that Rory was going to go ahead with it.

"But how am I going to get that on a plane? They are not going to let me just wheel it on board."

"Don't worry about a thing. We have it all sorted." Finn said

Rory asked, "Do we even have a way into his place yet?" Rory was worried about this part of the plan. If she couldn't get into his place she was unsure how she would be able to pull this off.

"Not yet, but were working on it." Colin had a gleam in his eye as he said this. He looked back out the window.

Rory couldn't help but think this sounded very ominous but it would be worth it if she could get Logan back.


	23. A Streetcar Named Desire

**A Streetcar Named Desire**

A tall bold woman made her way throw the office. She had been let in at the main security door by Mark. Mark was a co-founder of the business. She made her way over the closed door that Mark had pointed to. Outside the front of the door and sitting to the right was a desk, where another blond sat. Unlike the blond standing before her, this blond's beauty had been enhanced by several surgeries, injections and a bottle of peroxide. The tan was the only natural thing about her.

"Hi, I'm Honor is Logan in?" Honor put on her brightest smile. She couldn't get over the fact that her little brother had a job. In an office that had nothing to do with the Huntzberger Publishing Group.

The secretary answered in a painfully cute voice.

"I'm sorry Mr Huntzberger is in a meeting right now. Would you like me to take a message?"

"Well do you know when he would be free? He told me that he would be available."

"Mr Huntzberger is a very busy man you know. He doesn't really have time to _entertain_ lady friends during the day." Honor didn't know that to say. This botox bimbo was implying that Honor was here for… with Logan... ewe. Honor looked at the name plate sitting on the desk, she put on her most condescending society smile and spoke.

"Look Stella, I'm not here to be entertained by Logan. When I spoke to my brother earlier today he said that he would be available to see me any time. So when do you think his meeting will be over?" Honor noted the look of relief on Stella face when she mentioned that she was Logan's brother. The look of relief was quickly followed up by a look of suspicion. It was almost like she didn't believe Honor bout being his sister. Stella reluctantly picked up the phone.

Honor smiled when she heard the purring tone in Stella's voice

"Mr Huntzberger," there was a pause and then Stella smiled twice as brightly and lowered her voice another octave. "Logan, you sister, Honor is here?" Stella made it into a question, confirming to Honor that Stella didn't believe her story.

"Yes, Logan," Stella hung up the phone. Her smile seemed genuine this time, "You can go through."

Honor walked into Logan's office. It wasn't as big or flashy as his previous offices, but she liked it none the less. It was modern with mocha colored carpet and cream walls. There was lots of wood and chrome, but despite the chrome and clean lines it still managed to be warm.

"Nice set up that you have here." Logan came around from behind his desk, and gave Honor a hug.

"Thanks, I know it's smaller than what I've had before but it's still an office." Logan looked around modestly.

"Logan I so mean it. This is great! I still can't believe that you walled away for the Dad like that." Honor gushed, "You're my hero."

"I just did what I had to do." Logan tried to give the impression that it was nothing.

"Modesty does not be come you." Logan smiled. "I think you'd better look out for Stella out there. I think she has a thing for you."

"I've noticed. It would never work thought. I'm no Stanly." Logan looked out the window for a moment.

Honor noted the dark circles under Logan's eyes. "You look tired."

"Well I've been working lots of hours lately sis. I haven't been getting a lot of sleep."

"Is work the only reason that you haven't been getting sleep?" Honor tried to sound casual.

"Honor…"

"Logan you haven't said a word about you and Rory breaking up. I'm worried. It's like you're pretending that the last two years didn't happen."

"It was almost three years."

"I'm sorry, three years." Honor walks over to Logan and places her hand on his shoulder. "Logan what happened?"

Anger and hurt started to leak into Logan's voice, "Why does every one keep asking me that? Everyone knows what happened."

"I mean what happened to you Logan. Why did you walk away? I thought that you loved Rory. I've never seen you with anyone like that before."

"This is not my fault!" Logan shrugged of his sister hand and walked to his desk where he pulled out a bottle of scotch and a glass. He gestured to Honor if she wanted her own glass, she shook her head.

"Logan I'm not saying that this is you fault. I just want to understand what happened."

"There's nothing to understand."

Honor watched her little brother poor himself a drink. He placed the bottle back in the draw.

"Logan I know what you're doing, I used to do it too."

Logan took a deep drink, "What am I doing?"

"You're running. Every time someone gets close, you run. Or the second things get hard you run. There comes a point when you have to draw a line and stop running. Josh was my line."

"I'm not running."

"Then what do you call it?"

"I don't know, but it's not running." Logan took another drink. Honor was not happy to see how fast the level of amber liquid in Logan's glass was going down.

"Logan you drew a line in the sand with Rory I thought that she was going to be my sister in-law one day."  
"Well that thought was wrong."

Honor decided to try a different tactic. "Logan is it true that you told Rory that she marries you or nothing?" Logan was silent. "All or nothing? Please tell me that you didn't say that Logan."

"Yeah I said it." Honor couldn't miss the sound of self loathing in Logan's voice.

"Why?" Honor asks. Logan just shrugs his shoulders.

"This is why I don't do the whole relationship thing." Logan ignored the question.

"Why's that?"

"Because it hurts like hell when someone you love rejects you."  
Honor thought back to there childhood, "Yeah and us Huntzberger's have been rejected enough."

"Something like that."

"Logan you may not want to hear this but I really don't care. Rory loves you."

Logan's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Ohh so it's because she loves me that she turned me down."

"Yes."

"Yes? That make no sense."

"Logan, I think Rory turned you down because she wasn't ready and I think she thought that you loved her enough to wait for her."

"But she said..."

"That she didn't love you. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you've said that before Logan, but did Rory ever really say that she didn't love you?" Honor looked him in the eye. Honor may not be involved in the family business but she had the Huntzberger stair down pack.

"No in those exact words."

"Well then what words did she use?"

"She said. Well it's not what she said but how she said it."

"Common Logan you can do better than that."

"She looks at me and sees nothing but a closed door. If that's not her way of saying that she doesn't love me I don't know what is."

Honor once again tried a different tactic, if Logan got too worked up he would shut down and not say anything.

"Can I ask you a question?" Logan didn't say that she couldn't. "Had you two even spoken about marriage before?"

"Well we never used the word marriage, but the words forever, lasting and future were used a lot."

"So you just sprang the whole marriage thing on her? Without ever really talking about it?"

"No not sprang. She knew how I felt, I thought that she felt it to."

"Logan what would you have done at twenty two if someone had asked you to marry them."

"At twenty two marriage wasn't even something I was even contemplating."

"Why?"

"Because I was young. I wanted to have fun not settle down."

"But you started seeing Rory when you were twenty two."

"Yeah but I wasn't ready then. It took her to say let's be friends before I made the commitment to her."

"Why did it take you so long? From what I've heard you were totally into her from almost the first day that you meet her."

"I was, but I wasn't a commitment guy then."

"But you are now?"

"For Rory I am."

"So your saying that Rory is the girl that you want to commit to for the rest for you life?"

"Well with Rory I don't think it would be a life sentence like with Mom and Dad."

There was a long silence. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, they rarely were between the brother and sister. Logan and Honor had always found a sense of piece in one and other. Some times when they were little just being near each other gave them a sense of peace. Honor could almost hear Logan thinking.

"How do you know you and Josh won't turn out like Mom and Dad?"

"I don't know it, not for sure. What I do know is that with Josh I have made a home. I know that there is a different way to live and I will never go back to the way things were. My baby will grow up in a house full of laughter, the real kind not the fake crap that we had."

"Honor are you…" Logan makes several hand gestures but can't get the words out.

"You're going to be an uncle." Logan smiles at sister's news. It's the first real smile that he's had since Rory had left. He throws his arms around his sister and held her close. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks." Honor giggled.

"You're the first person I've told other than Josh."

"I'm gonna blame this on the hormones, but you know I always thought that Rory would of made a great aunt."

'Yeah well it didn't turn out that way." Honor looked Logan in the eye for a moment. She had one last hug.

"Well I'd better go. Lots of shopping to do." Honor picked up her hand bag and was heading out the door. Just before she reached the door she looked back.

"Hey Logan, F.Y.I, did you know that when you were talking before about Rory you were still talking about her in the present, not in the past tense."

"Your point?"

"My point is that you still think of her as the girl your going to marry. Life doesn't give us may second chances, I suggest that you take your when it comes." And with that Honor walked out the door.

Logan sat in silence contemplating Honors words.

Once Honor was in the elevator she got her cell phone out, searched though her contacts list and hit the call button. After just a couple of rings the phone was answered. With a devilish smirk she said two very simple words, "I'm in."


	24. The Coffee Cart

_Thank you so much for all the great feed back. It's really appreciated. I'm sorry that my spelling has been going down hill. Spelling has always been a weakness of mine and it seems the more stress I have in my personal life the worse it gets. I've been thinking about getting a beta reader for awhile now but its either write this story or search for the right beta. Guess which I picked. If there is a beta who reads my stuff and thinks that their input would be a positive influence on me, drop me a line and we will chat. Well I think that I've procrastinated enough, my story is drawing to an end I don't want it to but I don't know where to go after the next few chapters._

**The Coffee Cart**

Logan hadn't heard from Rory now for three days. He didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed. He pulled into the parking lot of his apartment building. The underground parking lot was quiet at this time of night.

After Rory said no, he couldn't bring himself to live in the house that he'd planned for himself and Rory. This apartment, he was glad to say did not remind him of Rory in any way.

He took the elevator up to his penthouse apartment. The elevator ride was quiet, it didn't stop at any other floors, but then that's not surprising when its three a.m. on a Tuesday morning.

Logan had been working ridiculous long hours since starting his new job. Working was a good way to forget, that and a bottle of scotch.

The elevator finally reached his floor. He didn't even look up when the doors opened he just picked up his suitcase and made his way into his apartment. It wasn't until he set his briefcase down on the kitchen bench that he noticed that he hadn't turned on a light. He'd found his way to the kitchen safely by the light of candles. Candles that he hadn't light and judging by the pools of wax surrounding each candle they had been burning for hours. He looked around his apartment and found flowers in vases on nearly ever flat surface. In the corner of his open planned living room, was what looked like one of the Yale coffee carts. In the middle his kitchen island stood a basket of fancy fruit. He looked around his apartment again and saw standing in the middle of the pool table the rocket ship that he had given Rory when he had left for London. The rocket had meant so much to him. It was his way of saying thank you for waiting and I'll wait for you. He smiled sadly at that thought. He hadn't waited for Rory. The first time she'd ever really said no to him he'd walked away. He couldn't wait for her to say yes. Logan then looked around, knowing that all of this must have been done by Rory, he didn't know how but he knew it was her.

She wasn't in the bed or bath rooms. He turned back into the main living area thinking that maybe she had left, that she had gotten tired of waiting for him.

He looked around his living room and it was then he noticed a light blue shimmer coming from his couch. He slowly walked over to the couch to find Rory asleep. She was wearing the blue dress he'd given her for the first Life and Death Brigade gathering that they had attended together. The only thing that had really changed was that her hair was longer now and she was wearing it out, not half-up like the first time she wore the dress.

Logan wanted to feel anger at Rory invading his personal space like this. She had no right to be here. But strangely he only felt longing. It was the sense of longing that pissed him off. He wanted to be angry because angry hurt less than regret. Logan knelt down next to the couch, he reach his hand and stroked Rory's face. "Rory, Rory, its time to wake up." Logan in spite of himself couldn't keep the tenderness out of his voice. Rory stirred and very slowly she opened her eyes and looked up into Logan's face.

"This was not how I planned this."

"Planned what Rory?"

"My grand gesture."

Logan smiled and looked around. "I don't know it looks pretty good to me."

"Yeah but you never slept during any of you grand gestures."

"Well you didn't usual keep me waiting until three in the morning to deliver them." Rory stifled a yawn and sat up. Logan moved back and sat on the coffee table in front of the couch.

Logan looks away from Rory, "You know this looks just like one of the carts from Yale."

"That's because it is. In facts it's not just a Coffee cart, it's _the_ Coffee cart. The one that you had follow me around for a day. Colin and Finn helped me steal it." Logan laughed out loud. It was a real laugh. He walked over to the cart for a closer look.

"You stole this?" He turned around and faced her.

"Yeah, well it would have been hard getting a boat into this place."

"So let me guess Colin and Finn helped you break into this place."

"No someone else did."

Logan looked at her for a moment. It was strange, they were talking just like they always had but there was an undercurrent of hesitation in everything they said to one and other.

"Rory what are you doing here?"

"Making sure that you really heard me the other day when I told you why I said no."

"I heard you."

"Did you? Did you really?"

"Last time I check you speak perfectly clear English and I understand it."

"So?"

"So what? Rory what do you want from me?" Logan was glad his anger was back. He clenched his fist. He could still feel how soft her skin was, the warmth of her skin from when he had touched her to wake her up. It was a sensory memory that he wanted gone.

"I want you to talk to me. Don't go all Silent Bob on me."  
"Rory I think that I've said all I have to say to you."

"No!" Rory stands up and moves toward Logan. "Logan this can't be all. After all we've been though there has to be more to say."

"What more Rory? I asked you to marry me you didn't love me enough to say yes. You just stood there you didn't cry or anything. You just stood there calm as hell and gave me the ring back. Now get out." Rory looked shocked at Logan. He was so angry.

Rory felt the tears run down her face, she didn't bother to wipe them away.

Rory felt all of her hope melt away, "I'm sorry Logan, but I do love you. I'm sorry that I'm not enough for you to wait for," Rory's voice broke, "Bye." She looked at him, but he wouldn't look her in the eye.

Rory walked out the door. The small train of her dress trailed behind her, making a whisping noise on the polished floor boards. It was the last thing he heard from her before the door closed.

The apartment was dead silent in the wake of Rory leaving. Logan just stood there staring at the door. The last place he ever saw her.

Logan turned back around his now empty apartment, it was all most pretty in the candle light. He walked over to the rocket ship and picked it up. This rocket ship was the first time that he acknowledged that he thought him and Rory were forever. He had an urge to throw it against a wall, to smash it to pieces. It now represented nothing but a broken dream to him, so shouldn't it be broken too?


	25. Proof of Love

_I was absolutely blown away by the response from the last chapter. I was worried that this was getting a little to angsty. I never intended this story to get so heavy emotionally, but it was just how the story very naturally developed._

**Proof of Love**

Logan was just standing looking at the rocket ship, in his quiet and empty apartment. He couldn't bring himself to break it. Could he really break it? After everything it meant to him? To Rory? He had looked so hard to find this rocket ship. It had taken him weeks of surfing the net and calling specialty stores to find. That episode of the Twilight Zone has always been his favorite. He always thought that was true love was about. Making the ultimate sacrifice. The ultimate compromise. Had he made the ultimate stuff up? Logan very carefully sat the rocket ship back down on the pool table. He backed away from it, almost with reverence. He just stood there staring at it. He had no idea what to do next, his mind was just a sea of nothingness.

His trance was broken by the sound of his phone ringing. Logan careful took the phone out of his pocket. He was ready to send whoever it was straight to his messages, after all no one calls this early with good news. Before hitting the divert button he looked at the caller ID. His first thought was why would she be calling? Maybe something was wrong.

"Honor?" Logan made her name a question.

"Yeah little brother how's it going?" Honor sounded far too happy for a person making a phone call so early in the morning.

"Honor its three thirty in the morning, what are you doing calling me?"

"I have it on very good authority that you were expecting a visit form a certain blue eyed brunette tonight."

Logan shook his head, his voice was hollow. "Honor were you in on this?"

"Only a little bit. How did it go?" Logan took it back, Honor didn't sound happy. She sounded excited. Logan could only reply in the same hollow voice.

"Honor you shouldn't have bother, its over between Rory and me."

"You dumb ass!" Honor shouted so loud that Logan's ear hurt. "You let her walk away?"

"I…"

"No you listen to me Logan Huntzberger." Logan couldn't help but think that Honor had the exact same tone that his father had when he chastising him for something stupid that he did. "Stop being such a pig headed little S.O.B. You and I both know that Rory is the best thing that's ever happened to you. She's met our family in all their glory and still wants to be with you. Lord knows why after the way you have behaved. Now if you can tell me honestly that you are happy to have her out of you're life than I'll let this all go. But tell me honestly, do you really want Rory to never be in you life again? Because that's what this means, Logan. If you let her go this time she's going to be gone forever."

Logan stopped and thought for a moment. He played with the idea of Rory not being in his life. He rolled the thought around in his head. He tested the idea that the last he would ever see of Rory would be of her tear streaked face, and the slither of her ball gown as she walked out of his apartment. His heart clenched and came to the conclusion that it was the most painful thing that had ever happen to him. Including the time he fell off a cliff. Did he really want her gone forever?

"But she said no." He has said it out loud, but he really wasn't expecting an answer. There had to be a reason why he let her walk away. Didn't there?

"From what I hear she said not yet. Logan, you said it yourself, you two had never really talked about marriage"

"But I through we were on the same page."

"You really should have talked about it before popping the big question." Logan was about to say something back but Honor cut him off. "Look Logan I'm not blaming anything on you, things happen in relationships. But it how you deal with the aftermath of events that proves how much you love someone. Rory left the campaign trail and committed theft for you. She's trying, you could at least meet her half way."

Logan was silent. What could he say to that? He kept thinking that Rory saying no equaled her not loving him. But all of this, his apartment, Honor and even his dad calling….maybe there was more to this than he thought.

"She loves me doesn't she?"

"Yeah Logan she does."

Logan dropped his phone and ran out of his apartment. He was unsure how long it had been since Rory had left be he had to find her. Everyone kept telling him that she loved him, but he was just too stubborn to listen. Maybe there was more to be said between the two of them. He didn't know if they could really go back to the way things were, but it had to give it a shot.

Logan kept punching the button for the elevator, but it wasn't coming fast enough. He turned and took the stairs.

As soon as Logan hit the foyer he headed for the main exit. He was half way out the revolving door when the Doorman looked up from his post and shouted out, "She went left."

Logan didn't even look back, "I know."

He knew that Rory would have gone left, left was down hill.

Logan had been running for almost ten minutes and he still hadn't spotted her. He started to wonder is she had found a taxi. The hill had evened out a little as he came to an intersection. And there just when he'd given up hope, he spotted her.

Sitting at a bus stop, she was huddled against herself. Even from a distance, Logan could see her body rack with crying.

He thought _God what have I done? _

Logan walked the rest of the way to Rory, taking his time, collecting his thoughts.

"Is there any chance that this butt faced miscreant can sit beside you?" Rory looked up at Logan. He'd never seen her so hurt, so broken. She looked away quickly,

"Don't bother Logan, if you just here to grind the knife in further your too late. It's already punched its way though and is in the middle of its second lap."

"I don't want to grind anything in. I want to talk." Logan sat down next to Rory. The street light picked out the red highlights in her hair and made them shimmer.

Rory looked at him, "I thought there was nothing else to say."

"Well this just might be one of the very rare occasions that I'm wrong." Rory just looked at him, her eyes were almost dead. Normally Rory would do a little happy dance when Logan admitted he was wrong. But his confession brought Rory no joy, all she could give Logan was dead eyes.

"Look Rory it's almost four in the morning, how about we go back to my place, get some sleep and talk in the morning."

"Do you mean talk, as in really talk." Rory had to make sure that Logan was serious. There was no way she could go back to his apartment just to have him crush her again. She didn't know how much more she could take.

"Yeah just like two civilized human beings."

Rory just sniffled and wiped the tears from her face. She stood up and Logan joined her. They started walking back up the hill to his apartment.

After a about ten minuets of silence Rory's spoke, "See Logan this just proves that I love you."

"What does?"

"You've got me walking up a hill for you. A really, really steep hill."

Logan smiled. The strange thing was Logan knew that she meant it.

He had never equated steep hills and love before.

But then there is a first time for everything.

* * *

_The next chapter is written, but something is wrong with it. Or maybe there is nothing wrong and I'm just scared that I'm not going to going to meet everyone's expectations. _

_Hmm._

_Well I'm going to go back to writing the next chapter now. Once again thank you so much for all the feedback._


	26. Not as in Jet Lee

_This is the much anticipated chapter 26. This chapter has been in the works for nearly 8 weeks. I'm scared that if I don't post it now that I will ruin it. I really would love to know what you think of this chapter, good or bad. Thank you for all the positive feed back it's been amazing._

**Not as in Jet Lee**

Logan awoke in the morning to find himself alone in his bed. Not that that was unusual. He'd been alone in bed since he and Rory had broken up. It was at this thought that it occurred to him that Rory was in his apartment. He got up out of bed, he thought about putting more cloths on. Did he really want to have this conversation in just his boxers? But then if he did want to put cloths on what should he wear?

What does one wear potentially the last time they see the love of there life?

But then again if the up and coming event is going to be the re-kindling of his relationship with Rory, then less cloths would be more convenient.

Not that sex was the only reason that he had ever been with her. The sex was great, always had been, but it was her mind that really turned him on. In the end Logan chose to have this conversation just in his boxers. Not for vanities sake, but because some how him in his boxers seemed more honest, lest pretensions than scanning his wardrobe for the right cloths to wear.

Logan and walked into the lounge room and found Rory asleep on the couch. He'd tried to get her to take the bed but she'd refused. She had that stubborn look on her face, the one he knew he couldn't win against. He was surprised to see that she was still in the blue ball gown. Surly she had brought cloths that she could have changed into?

Logan just stood there looking at Rory bathed in the morning light for a few more moments. He didn't want to wake her just yet. Not until he knew what he was going to say. He went to the kitchen and started to brew the coffee, he knew this was going to be a coffee moment.

The coffee had been brewed to perfection. The coffee cups where freshly washed and sparkling. The milk and sugar had been carefully measured to everyone's specification. It was when Logan realized that he had been string his coffee for almost two minuets that he figured out that he was procrastinating. This realization ticked him off, he was not a coward. He did like to avoid conflict but taking fifteen minuets to make two cups of coffee was just ridiculous. Logan took a moment of still ness to gather himself. He let out a deep breath and made his way into the lounge room. He placed the coffee cups on the table and knelt down beside Rory, he gently stroked her face. It was almost a re-enactment of early when he came home from work. Only this time the room was light by warm sunlight not candles and there uncertain light.

"Ace, its time to get up." Rory's eyes slowly opened, they were still a little red from crying and a lack of sleep. For a moment they just locked eyes. They didn't say anything.

Logan was first to break. "I've got coffee." He looks away and hands her a coffee mug. He sits down on the coffee table in front of the couch. They sat in silence and sipped coffee.

Rory was first to break the silence, "So how do we do this?"

"Do what Rory?"

"Do this, start talking?"

"Well in case you haven't noticed we are talking. I thought that you did a very good job at starting by the way." Logan looked away and then back again. "Can I ask a question?"

Rory shrugged "Sure."

"Why are you still in the gown?"

This was not the question that Rory had expected. "Well after you came and found me last night it was obvious that my grand gesture was still in action. I know that the candle burnt out, but its day light now, so they didn't really matter anymore."

Logan wanted to understand, "But the dress still mattered?"

"This dress will always matter." Rory had said it with such sincerity that it almost hurt Logan. He thought back to _that _day. The day at the Life and Death Brigade gathering. He smiled. He'd liked Rory even back then. There was something about her. Yes she was beautiful, but there was more to it than that. He loved her sass, her mind. The fact the she didn't give a damn that he was a Huntzberger.

It was then that he realized that they hadn't said anything for a while. Logan had never been one to procrastinate and now he found himself doing it twice in less than tem minuets. He asked the question that had been bothering him since last night.

"Did you really think that we could keep seeing each other after you said no? Did you really think that I could still stand being with someone who doesn't feel that same way I do about them?"

Rory looked up at that, she felt shock at Logan's question. "Logan, I do feel the same way you feel about me. I love you. I'm just not ready for marriage. I want to give this writing thing a shot. But if I married you now, there would be so many things that I wouldn't do." Rory looked at him pleadingly. She was almost willing him to understand her.

Logan didn't understand, he sounded hurt and angry, "And what difference would you being married to me make to your life? I would never hold you back from you writing. I wouldn't stop you."

"I never said that you would." Rory held eye contact with Logan, but it became too much, the accusing look in his eye's. Rory looked away first. She looked down at the coffee cup in her hand and took a deep sip.

"Well that's what it sounds like to me. You make it sound like that if you married me that your life would stop. That I would stop you from doing what you want to do."

"No, I'm not saying it right." Rory took a deep breath, she wiped the tears from her eyes, she didn't even remember starting to cry.

"Do you remember how hard it was when you went to London?" Rory didn't look up from her cup.

"Of cause I do. I hated going. I hated leaving you."

"Good, well not good that you had to go, but good that you weren't happy. I mean imagine if you hadn't hated leaving…"

Logan recognized the signs of what Rory was doing, "You're babbling Rory."

"Sorry. Well just imagine how hard it would have been to leave your wife behind, instead of you girlfriend."

It wasn't really a question but Logan answered anyway. "I wouldn't have gone if you were my wife." Logan said it with such sincerity that Rory looked up. Logan was looking into his own cup of coffee. He was gripping it with both of his hands. His knuckles were white with tension.

"Uha! That's my point." Rory knew that she had finally found a way to explain to Logan how she felt. "You would not have left, which means that you would never of meet Bobby and whatever there names were. You would never have made the business deal that back fired on you. Which means that you would never have left the family business. Which means that you wouldn't now be working in a company that you are an equal partner in. In something that you earned, not something that was forced on you."

"That was a lot of _which means._"

Rory looked exasperated, "Are you missing my point on purpose?"

"No, I just don't see the relevance of what you're saying."

"Logan. If I had said yes to you then I currently wouldn't be on the campaign trail." Rory heard Logan draw a breath to speak but she cut him off. "Not that you would have discouraged me from taking the job. I would have discouraged me. The level of commitment that I would feel once that ring was on my figure, would mean that I wouldn't of take jobs like this. Logan you know just as well as I do, probably better the amount of traveling a reporter can do. If you were my husband then I wouldn't take as many opportunities that would come my way. And I'm learning so much," Rory voice started to break, finally making Logan look at the tears running down her face.

"But I want to come home to you. After six weeks on a crappy bus, even if it's just for a weekend. I want you to support me and encourage me. I want to one day marry you. Have children with you, I want to grow old with you. But you couldn't wait for me. You walked away from me. From us."

Logan almost didn't hear Rory's last sentence, it was almost lost to her crying. "Why couldn't you wait for me?"

"I don't know Ace, I don't know." Logan stood up and walked towards the window that looked out over the city.

"When you said no all I could think was that you didn't love me, or at least not as much as I love you. How else could you stand there and not cry. I mean you cried when I was going to London. But I tell you all or nothing and you just stand there."

"Logan I didn't believe you, when you said all or nothing. I was in shock. I kept thinking that you would turn around and say that long distance is better than nothing."

Rory got up of the couch and placed her coffee cup next to Logan's on the coffee table. She cautiously approached Logan. He didn't shy away from her, so she moved closer, so close that she could feel the heat radiate off his body. She debated on whether to touch him or not. They stood in silence for a few moments. The urge to touch Logan became to strong, Rory tentatively placed her hand on Logan's forearm. His muscles tensed under her touch, but he didn't pull away.

Rory started talking again. "But you just kept walking. Then I thought that you would come knocking on my door, but you didn't. It wasn't until it was too late that I realized that you weren't coming back, it was then that I broke. So here I am standing next to your hoping that we can find a way to make this work."

Logan just stood there thinking. Rory was waiting for him to say something, but there was just silence. Rory reluctantly took her hand away from Logan's arm. She walked to the coffee cart she pulled out her last hope.

It was a cream colored envelop. She walked back to Logan, who hadn't moved from the window. She held out the envelope to him. She wasn't going to force him to take it. He had to _want _to take it.

Logan looked down at the envelope and smiled when he saw the "Dragonfly Inn" printed on it.

Rory's heart skipped a beat at Logan's smile. "Please note the authentic Dragonfly Inn stationary."

He flipped the envelope over and smiled when he saw Lorelai's signature across the seal of the envelope.

"You know you really need to come up with you own material Ace."

"You know that imitation is the greatest form of flattery." The banter had lightened the mood slightly. Rory didn't fail to notice that Logan had called her _Ace_.

Rory was nervous, she had no idea what this letter could possible say. She had found it in the Logan box that she had picked up from her mothers. Rory had faith in her mother, she knew that if Lorelai Victoria Gilmore couldn't take some sense into Logan no one could.

Logan sighs and opens the letter.

_Well Logan I bet I'm the last person you expect to get a letter from. I must say I wasn't expecting to ever write one to you._

_I mean let's make a list of all the wonderful things that have happened since you walked into my daughter's life. _

_First you introduce her to you truly horrible parents. I think if there was an Olympics for sucky families that we would be competing for gold._

_Then you get my daughter arrested. (Though her mug shot does look rather fetching along side her baby photos.)_

_When Rory and I weren't speaking, you were there for her._

_You always made time for her._

_You made her live her life beyond books and school._

_You were unbelievably supportive when her grandfather had his heart attach._

_Man, this is almost sounding like a pro/con list. I must say if I was making a pro/con list on if you should be in my daughter's life, I think the pros would be out weighing the cons._

_You have broken her heart three times and have had the good sense to make it up to her twice. And I think she's hoping that this will be a third and final time that the pair of you make up. _

_I'm not telling you to make up with Rory just because I can't stand to see her so broken. I'm asking you to work out if my twenty two year old daughter turning down your proposal, the day she graduated from university, is worth never see her again. _

_If you don't try and make this work then you will be turning you back on what I think, in my unbiased opinion, is one of the most amazing people to of ever walked the earth. _

_She is my proudest accomplishment, and my greatest inspiration. Everything I have done it my life that is worth while was for her. Without her I would be lost. _

_I know from experience that love isn't easy to find. Not the real kind anyway. Not the forever kind. I know it's hard having faith in love when you are brought up to believe that everything is an expendable commodity. That everybody can be brought, for a price. _

_My love for Rory was the first solid thing I had ever known. I knew that what I felt for her could not be brought and sold. I knew that she was priceless. I left everything I knew because I knew that she deserved better, she deserved to never have a price placed upon her head._

_Talk to Rory and work out if her saying no, is really the end of everything. I'm not asking you to get back together with her because I said so, (that would make me my mother. YUCK!) _

_I'm asking you to talk to her and work out if there is still love there. I know she loves you. She once told me that she though you were 'The One.' And I don't mean 'The One' as in the Jet Lee movie. I mean 'The One' as in her forever. _

_Do you really want someone else to be her forever?_

_Regards_

_Lorelai Gilmore _

Logan re-read the letter again with Rory watching on silently. She has no idea what her mother had written. But she knew from experience that any letter written by her mother needs to be read more than once.

"Did you really say once that I'm _the one_?" Logan looked her in the eye. He needed to see Rory's eyes when she answered.

"Yes. We were at you place at the vineyard. You and Luke were out side and I told Mom that you guys were the ones. You were my one, Luke is Mom's."

Logan remembered that weekend. It had started out so well. "Yeah but your Mom and Luke didn't work out."

"Not that time, but I think they will this time."

"There trying again?" Rory just nodded.

Logan had to know, "Do you still think I'm the one?"

"Yes." Logan looked at her. Really looked at her, was she worth waiting for?

And in that moment he knew the answer. He understood what Lorelai had said in her letter. Rory was the only solid thing that he had ever known.

Logan cupped Rory's face gently in his hands. He caressed her check with his thumb, wiping away a stray tear. He leaned his face closer to her. Slowly giving himself and her time to pull away. Rory didn't pull away. She stayed solid in his hands. Her eye's never leaving his. Just before their lips touched, he whispered, "I love you Ace."


	27. Homeless

_Sorry guys that it's taken me so long to update, I've been working a lot of overtime at work and simply have not had time to write. This was originally going to be the last chapter in this story. It was originally half this size, but my muse as over worked as she is, agreed with me that there is a little life left in this story. So here you have it, the much awaited and no longer final chapter._

**Homeless**

Rory woke-up hours later. She was in bed warm and very much not alone. Spooned around her was Logan. He was still asleep. Despite his state of unconsciousness his arm was wrapped around Rory's body, holding her tight. Normally when in bed, they would sleep comfortably next to each other, not on top of one and other. But she thought that they both needed the contact, the reassurance that the other was not going any where. Rory didn't want to move but nature was starting to call her. Stupid nature.

Rory moved a little trying to find a position that would elevate some of the pressure from her bladder but still remain close to Logan. She kept moving, she was trying not to wake him, but she failed. "Don't break the moment." Logan said. Rory could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck.

"What moment?"

"This one, of us back together. There's still hours until you have to get up and leave." Rory stiffened when Logan said leave. Was Rory wrong, had they just had break-up sex and not make-up sex? Suddenly Rory all but forgot her bladder.

"Leave?"

"Yeah there's a four o'clock flight that will get you back on the campaign trail just in time for the next rally."

Rory tried to keep the hurt out of her voice, "Oh, so you want me to go?" Logan held her tighter and started to kiss the back of her neck.

"No, but if your not at the rally how can you write an article about it?"

Rory was shocked. She thought that her being back with Logan would mean that she would not be returning to the campaign trail. "You mean that?"

"Yeah Ace I mean it. I want to support you. So in twelve days time when there is a three day break, you will fly back to be with me and we will spend as much time together as possible. And in the mean time we will call each other, text and email."

Rory smiled, "You know I really love."

"Yeah I think I've finally figured that out." Rory turned herself so that she was facing Logan, but was still in his arms. They kissed it was soft and tender, Logan played with her bottom lip. Chewing on it just the way Rory liked it. Logan wanted to keep the kiss soft, but Rory deepened it.

Rory rolled Logan onto his back and straddled his waist.

Logan laughed, "Ace as much as I love you, you need to give a guy a little time to recoup."

Rory shook her head, sending her curls flying. "Nope no recouping. We have spent far too much time apart for you to recoup." Rory pocked her finger into Logan's chest, "You have a lot of making up to do mister."

"Me?"

"Yes you. So suck it up mister, and act like a Duracell bunny."

"Noo, I don't want to be a bunny. I always thought that the Energizer guy was way cooler."

"No way. I think you would look cute in pink with bunny ears."

"Ace, no one can compete with you in the cute stakes when it comes to wearing bunny ears."

Logan sat up with Rory still straddling him. He kisses her once, very chastely on the lips and then pushes her of his lap.

"Hey! No fair!"

"Life is not fair my dear Ace and in light of this shocking revelation how does coffee sound?"

"Only if it's coffee cart coffee."

"I have no idea on how to make coffee cart coffee."

"Well then you ignorant plebe. I shall just have to teach you. But first I have other business to attend to." With that Rory wrapped a sheet around her like a toga and walked into the ensuit and closed the door behind her.

Logan lay back in bed, despite having only had a few hours sleep this was the most rested he had felt in weeks.

Rory made her way out of the bathroom she was still wrapped in her toga. She was almost out of the bedroom door when she spoke to Logan, "You ready to watch and learn?"

Logan got out of bed, he stood in his door way and watched Rory. He had originally intended to get closer to her and harass her whilst she made coffee, but he decided against it. He decided to drink in the sight of Rory, his Ace as she potter around the cart. It looked like she knew what she was doing. She knew where everything was and just where to put the coffee. Her watched with a quiet sense of joy at seeing the look of utter concentration on Rory's face. He never thought that his home would be graced with the presence of Rory Gilmore in a state of deep concentration again. But then it occurred to him that he'd never had a home that didn't have Rory Gilmore in it.

It was then that he knew what he truly loved the most about Ace. She was his home and that's what had been missing from his life, that sense of home. And not just over the past few weeks but over his whole life. He sure as hell didn't have one in the house he grew up in. The first time he ever knew what a home felt like was the day that Rory moved into his apartment. Logan made up his mind in that moment never to be homeless again.

Rory looked up at Logan. She saw the slight smile on his face and the deep look of concentration, it intrigued her. "What?"

Logan looked into her eyes, his smile grow. "Nothing. I was just thinking that you look rather fetching in a toga."

"Well you do know it's the latest fashion from Rome, though the Romans clearly copied the design from the Etruscans. It's also a sign of peace."

"Peace?"

"Oh yeah it was such faux par for a solder to wear one." Rory puts on a very bad classic British stage voice, "Let arms yield to the toga, let the Lorelai crown to praise." Rory streaches her arms out dramaticaly.

Logan smirked, "I'm no history buff but don't you mean laurel crown?"

"Nope, it's defernatly Lorelai crown. You said it yorself, your no history buff. And if memory servise me corect wasn't history your catch up on sleep class?" Rory pokes out her toung and then puts on her most innocent face and turns back to the coffe cart where the coffee had started to percurlate.

Logan couldn't restist her standing there in nothing but his sheet any longer. He comes up behind Rory with lust in his eyes and wraps his arms around her. He whispers in her ear one of the few quote he does remember from history, "Rorys, lords of the world, the race that wears the toga."

Rory smiled at the twist that he had put on the ancient saying. She always loved the way that Logan could keep up with her.

"Hey what do you think faux par is in Latin?

"I have no idea, the only thing I know in Latin other than _In Omnia Paratus_ is _veni vidi_ _vici_."

"Why am I not surprised that a Huntzberger knows I came, I saw, I conquered in Latin?"

Logan laughed, he looked around his apartment again. Admiring the effort that Rory had put into her grand gesture. He had nearly figured out everyone's roll in this grand gesture. Colin and Finn had obviously helped steal the coffee cart and Honor had provided Rory with the key to his apartment.

"The only thing that I can't figure out is how or even why you got my father involved."

Rory looked up from pouring the coffee into two take away cups. "What do you mean?"

"My dad, he called me flying the Rory banner. How did you get him to do that?"

"I never asked him to do that. When did he call?"

"I don't know? Two weeks ago?"

Rory blushed, she was still a little embarrassed that she had lost control and yelled at Mitchum in public. "Ohh no." Rory tried to hide her face. Logan was having none of that, he lifted her chin and looked her in the eye.

"What happened?"

"Well I was covering this Obama event. It was late and I had had only a couple of drinks I swear. I don't know what came over me."

Logan had a feeling that something very amusing had happened. "And?"

"Well you dad he came over to me and he was all like _How's Logan? Is Logan settling in well?_ He was just making me so mad. Who is he to act like he cares about you? He's you father that's who he is and Mitchum Huntzberger is not know for being effectuate towards his children. And well I kindayelledathim." Rory mumbled her lest few words so that Logan couldn't understand them.

"Sorry Ace I couldn't understand that last bit."

Rory still speaking very softly said "I kinda yelled at him."

"Sorry Ace, I still didn't hear you." Logan was teasing Rory, he had heard her perfectly well the first time.

Rory slapped Logan on his chest, "Logan!"

"Hey Ace can you blame me? That's the best thing that I've ever heard anyone say about my dad."

"Well I aim to please." Rory passed Logan his cup of coffee.

"And please me you do." Rory and Logan kissed before Rory turned back to her own coffee and started to drink it.


	28. Peeping Ears

**Peeping Ears**

Rory and Logan were sitting on his couch, sipping coffee cart coffee. Logan had his arm draped around Rory. They had been sitting in comfortable silence for a little while now. Logan was reflected back on his conversation that he had had with his father.

"Hey, my Dad said that he had been yelled at more than once. When else have you yelled at him?"

"Umm, after your accident. When you were in hospital. I told him to get his butt down to the hospital and see you." Rory was attempting to be non-claret about it, but she couldn't help have a naughty grin on her face.

Logan knew that there was more to the story than Rory was letting on. "Is that exactly what you said to him?"

"No, I if I recall correctly I said something along the lines that you, his son was lying in a hospital bed with critical injuries and that a guy like him was surrounded by nothing but a bunch of terrified sycophants, might not have someone in his life with the guts to tell him what an incredibly selfish narcissistic ass he was being and I thought that I should jump on in. I told him to swallow his pride and come see his son."

Logan looked at Rory in shock. No one spoke to Mitchum Huntzberger like that. "Wow? Really?"

"Yep." Rory could barely suppress her look of self satisfaction.

"Next time you yell at my Dad could you give me a head's up? I would love to see the look on his face."

"Sure, next time I feel the urge to spontaneously yell at your father I'll let to know."

They sat in silence together, enjoy just being near each other. Logan started to drift off to sleep, and he thought the strange noise that he was hearing was the beginning of a dream. It was a strange dream. Why would he dream of Honor and Josh arguing in his dream?

Honor yelled, "Josh if you hang that phone up you will be the one giving birth in six months."

"This is crazy Honor and you know it. It's like peeping on someone."

"And just how do you peep with you ears."

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Josh sounded exasperated.

"I don't know it Josh." Honor said Josh with such scorn than Logan cringed for the guy.

Josh ignoring the dangerous tone in Honor voice pressed on, "You're just being ridiculous."

"I am not being ridiculous. You are the one who made the comment about ears being able to peep."

"No Honor I'm serious this has gone on long enough. You got to listen to the whole make up speech and more. You've had you fun."

"Fun? Fun! This was not fun. The very future of my brother happiness hung in the balance last night and this morning and you need to take it more seriously."

"Ohh don't you worry I'm taking it seriously." Josh's voice dripped with sarcasm.

Rory lifted head from Logan's shoulder, "Logan do you hear your sister and Josh arguing?"

Logan still with his eyes closed said, "I thought that was just me."

"Well unless we are collectively hallucinating with our ears, I think that we can really hear them."

"But how? Its not like I have them in a shoe box under my bed." Logan then realized where the noise was coming from.

"Oh crap." He ran over to his phone that was still sitting on the pool table from last night. Logan looked at his phone skeptically and was surprised to see that it was still in the middle of a call. "Honor are you there?"

Honor did not answer his question, it was Josh. "Oh thank god Logan. Maybe you can talk some sense into your sister because I sure as hell can't."

"Logan!" Honor's happy voice was now coming out of the phone. "I'm sooo happy you and Rory finally made up."

Rory walked over to Logan still dressed in her toga and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She rested her check on his back, enjoying the feel of his warm skin. Logan smiled and put his phone on loud speaker.

"Honor have you been on the phone since this morning?"

"Of cause I have. I couldn't relay on you to make to right decisions about you and Rory. I mean you were being such a Neanderthal over the whole thing. It's no wonder that Rory had to hit you over the head with a cub and drag you back to her cave." Logan felt Rory suppress laughter and bury her face into his back. He could feel that her lips that were pressed to his back were smiling.

"I don't think I needed quite that much help Honor."

"Don't be silly Logan of cause you did. Is Rory there?"

"I'm here Honor." Logan turned in Rory's arms and faced her. They were smiling at the each other.

"Rory welcome back. I'm sorry that I ever doubted that you and dense boy were ever meant to be together."

Rory laughed, "Well it was hard to see the truth though all the denseness."

"Hey guy's I'm right here." Logan gave an indignant look.

Rory playfully slapped Logan's shoulder. "Hush you."

"Oh my god Rory in between all the fighting, touching speeches and make up sex, did Logan find the time to tell you my news?"

"No, what news?" Rory looked up at Logan, she didn't think it possible but Logan smiled twice as brightly.

"I'm pregnant!"

"Honor that's amazing."

"I know. Just think you and Logan are going to be an aunt and uncle. I can't wait. And one day when you and Logan have children they will have a cousin to play with."

"Aww it would be so cute. Could you imagine them forming little sub parties, with juice boxes and junk food."

Logan sensed this conversation going to a whole new place they just weren't ready for yet. Well no, he was ready but he knew that Rory wasn't, he knew he had to wait.

"And on that clucky note, Honor we have to go and get ready. Rory needs to be at the airport in a couple of hours."

"Ok bye guys."

"Bye Honor." Logan and Rory said together. Logan ended the call and looked directly at Rory.

"Kid's?"

"What? It's not like I'm planning on having them now. But you gotta admit it's a cute image to see the little tikes sneaking off at one or my grand parents parties too the pool house to get drunk on red cordial and get a sugar high from Twizzlers and Kisses."

Logan just smiled, he could see it. He then felt a serious moment coming on "You know we've never really talked about kids."

"No I guess we didn't." Rory felt a little uncomfortable, its not that she didn't want kids, its just that they were nothing more than a dream, a good one but distant none the less.

Logan mentally kicked himself. He had never spoken to Rory about kids before. What kind of guy asks someone to marry him when they had never even had the kid discussion? He had just always assumed that Rory wanted what he wanted.

"I guess that the kid's conversation is generally one of those conversations before you ask someone to marry you?"

"Generally speak yes." Rory looked away. She didn't know what look she had on her face so she thought that it was safer to look away.

"Well do you want to have it now?" Seeing the reluctance in Rory's body language he quickly added, "That way it's one less thing to do when the time is right." Logan sensing how uncomfortable Rory was getting, "I'm mean it only needs to be an abbreviated version. Look I'll even start it. I like kids, I would like to have at least two or three kids. But I think five kids sounds good." Logan left it at that. He was relieved to see Rory smile.

"Yeah I like the sound of two or three kids, but the only we are having five kids is if you do a Josh."

"Josh?"

"Yeah you can give birth to the last two." With that comment the tension in the room was broken. Rory reached up to kiss Logan, it wasn't a passionate kiss, they were both laughing too much for it to be passionate. Rory drew back first, her eyes shinning brightly, "I'll go shower first."

"You do that."

Logan watched Rory walk away still smiling.


	29. Bubbles and Beatles

Sorry that it's taken so long for me to update. Thank you all for sticking with me, I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, I'll make it as soon as I can.

**Bubbles and Beatles**

Rory was sitting on Logan's couch, waiting for him to finish getting dressed so that he could drive her to the airport. She knew things weren't back to normal between them, she knew that it would take time. She hopped it wouldn't take to long.

Despite the sense of foreboding that hung in the air like thick tropical humidity she smiled. Everything would be okay as long as she had Logan, she has him and everything else will work itself out.

Rory had been playing with her phone for the last ten minuets, she wanted to shout it to the world that she and Logan were back together, but part of her dreaded bursting the bubble that had been formed in Logan's apartment. Here in this apartment they were safe from the pressure and questions of there family and friends. Here nothing else mattered but them. Rory decided that her Logan bubble was going to have to stretch to include others. Honor and Josh knew about the bubble and it hadn't burst, maybe there was room for one more person in the bubble. Rory pulled out her phone and called the one person who she knew loved bubbles more than anything else.

"You are speaking to the international renowned Lorelai Gilmore, the love guru." Lorelai was walking down the main street of Stars Hollow, hand in hand with Luke.

Rory smiled, "Why hello lover guru, don't you sound positive that Logan and I reconciled."

"Why wouldn't I be? The love guru was involved, of cause you're back together. Besides the only thing that would have kept you from calling me sooner is if you were having hot sweaty make up sex with Logan."

Luke looked embarrassed that Lorelai had said the sex word out loud and in public. Not to mention the fact that the S word had something to do with Rory. To Luke, Rory would always be the little girl who needed to use to two hands to lift her giant cup of coffee. He looked around quickly hopping that no one else was listening.

"Mom!" Rory was blushing.

"I'm right though aren't I? Common admit it, I'm all knowing. This love guru is the greatest guru of them all. In fact my guruing skills are so international know that I just had a call from Paul and Ringo."

Rory rolled her eyes, "And what did Paul and Ringo have to say?"

"Well they asked if my guruing skills were available, they said that they were happy to make sizable donations if I could just pass on my wisdom. Of cause I said that all my loving was not for sale, I said that money can't buy my love. Then they said that I should become a paperback writer and share my wisdom with the world."

"And what did you say?"

"Well, I said that my hands were tied giving help to my beautiful perfect daughter who has yet to acknowledge that this love guru is all knowing."

"Yes love guru you are all knowing. There are you happy."

"I really love being right you know." Logan walked out of the bedroom clean and fully clothed. He had his keys and hand and was collecting Rory's luggage. Logan looked over at Ace, he knew that she had to be talking to Lorelai. He got her attention and pointed his wrist watch trying to let her know that they had to get a move on.

Rory could hear the wistfulness in her mom's voice. "I just think that wisdom and rightness come together right now, over me."

Rory smiled and nodded at Logan, "Mom I gotta go."

"Are you going to have more make-up sex?" didn't know what she was enjoying more, embarrassing Rory or Luke.

Rory could here Luke in the back ground say "Aww gezz. Lorelai we're in public so a little less of the S word would be appreciated."

Rory laughed, "No Mom, were not going to be doing that." Logan laughed, he knew that Lorelai had just said something inappropriate.

"Logan's driving me to the airport. He got me a ticket to ride so that I can catch up with the campaign trail."

"Huh. So you're still on the campaign?"

"Yep."

"Huh I didn't see that coming. So is he's happy with you going back on the trail?"

"Well actually it was his idea."

"Wow, I didn't see that coming." Lorelai was sure that Rory being back with Logan meant that she would have to give up her current job. She was surprised that he went from, all or nothing, to let compromise we can work it out. Part of her was unsure if she trusted Logan's change of mind.

"Nether did I, but he said that it was his turn to support me whilst I made a name for myself. The only real down side is that I'm not sure when I will be home next. Is that okay?"

"Hey I'm not gonna lie, the idea of not knowing when I will see the light of my life again doesn't exactly thrill me, but I prefer you to be a happy light than a dull one."

"Hey I'm not dull," Rory said indignantly.

Logan pointed to his watch again, Rory got the message and started to walk to the door. She picked up her carry on bag and lest Logan to deal with her suitcase.

"No your not but you have been. This is a happy as you've sounded since…" Lorelai hesitated with the next word, but she was a brave woman and finished her sentence, "graduation."

"How could you tell that I was unhappy? I thought I was faking it so well."

"Kid you are one of the worst liars I know. Remember you couldn't even keep it from me that you had returned your library book a day late."

"It was over due and they have return dates for a reason. What if someone had made a special trip to the Library to borrow the book that I had, not only did they miss out on the joy of reading PASIÓN DE LA TIERRA by Vicente Aleixandre, but also consider the environmental impact of taking an unnecessary trip to the library."

"Ohh and you have you be the one to tell you grandparents about Logan. Your grandmother will no believe me. Beside Emily has been planning dinner for your first night home since you left, I can't deny you the pleasure of disappointing her. "

"Hey I've done my share of disappointing." Rory couldn't help but look at Logan feeling a little guilty. He was on the list of people that she had disappointed over the years. Logan just looked at Rory's look questionably, now that they were in the elevator he could hear Lorelai's side of the conversation.

"Hey you are not in my league. It took me years of training to become this much of a disappointment to my parents. You, my mini me are still an amateur."

"And you've gone pro."

"Hell yeah, the pay is much better not to mention the fan base."

"Well I've always wanted my own fan base. And if telling Grandma and Grandpa is a step on the road to becoming a world class disappointment than I'll do it. I'll tell them." Rory really wasn't ready to share this bit of news with her grandparents, she knew that of all the people in her life who could burst this bubble that she's in it would be them. Rory stepped out of the elevator and into the under ground car park, Logan ushered her over to a shinny black 4x4 something.

"I've gotta go Mom." Logan was happy to note that Rory sounded a little sad. He didn't like her being sad, but he like the fact that she wasn't happy about being apart from him. "I'll call you later. Love you." Rory was about to hang up when her Mom asked her a question.

"Hey kid?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you happy?"

Rory looked at Logan who was sitting next to her, he had just started the engine and was pulling out of the park, "Yeah I'm happy."

Logan looked at Rory when he heard this statement, he looked her in the eyes and knew it was true. A sense of utter relief washed over him when he realized that they were back on the same page again, they were both happy and together.

Lorelai who did not feel that happy was descriptive enough questioned her daughter more, "How happy?"

"I don't know really, really happy."

"Really really? Really really doesn't sound like a type of measurement to me."

"Fine I'll come up with something better." Rory thought for a moment, how she could explain to her mother in a measurement that she would understand how happy she was. "How does I'm as happy as you sound?"

Lorelai looked at Luke and smiled, "Now that's a measurement I can understand."

Rory smiled, the Gilmore Girls were both finally happy and in love, "Bye Mom."

"Bye kiddo."

Lorelai flipped her phone shut. She looked at Luke with a silly grin on her face. "What?"

"Did you have to say the S word so publicly?" Luke looked around as if someone was listening o this sordid conversation.

"The S word? What S word?" Lorelai started walking again, she was heading for coffee at Luke's Diner.

"You know the word."

"Oh right, sorry I forgot that serendipity was a taboo word to say in public, please forgive me."

"No, not that word."

"So what other S word could it be sing, spoon, swami."

Luke ignoring Lorelai stated to walk off towards his Dinner. Lorelai runs to catch up with him. "Ooo I know what it is. Squashbuckle. Nothing gets the blood pumping and heads turning like squashbuckling." Luke just glared at her.

"Huh, so I guess that squashbuckle isn't the word. What about spider. No it's spandex isn't it. Spandex is the taboo S word, isn't it?

Luke just shook his head and opened the door of the Diner to let Lorelai walk through, Lorelai paused and looked back at the town square. "What do you think Kirk is doing?"

"Huh?" Luke looked back to see Kirk setting up what appeared to be a series of flat screen TV's. As they watched he lifted another into place completing the second row. "Do you really think he really needs that many cords for the set up?"

Luke looked at what Kirk was doing, "Well I doubt a normal person needs that many cords but since this is Kirk…."

"Yeah always need to consider the Kirk factor."

Luke tried to usher Lorelai though the open door, "This whole town if full of Kirk factors." Lorelai despite Luke's efforts turns and starts to walk towards where Kirk is setting up the electrical equipment.

Kirk is standing on a scaffold and placing the last of the TV's in place, creating on giant flat screen TV three long and three high. He was surrounded by a sea of yellow and orange cords.

Lorelai looks up at Kirk shading her eyes from the sun. "Hi ya Kirk whatcha doing?"

Kirk looked at Lorelai with an expression of sheer terror on his face.

"Kirk what's wrong?"

Kirk swallowed hard and said "Hiva nof nerton snuff."

"Ahh what?"

"Neben firth." Kirk points to the left, Lorelai looks towards the gazebo where Kirk is pointing. She sees nothing that explains Kirks odd behavior.

"I don't…" Lorelai looks back to find Kirk running along the scaffolding, he looks back to see her looking at him, he screams, trips and falls off the edge of the scaffolding. In stead of crashing to the ground he is suspended by one of the many cords, up side down.

"Oh my God! Kirk! Are you okay?" Lorelai ran over to him.

"I'm okay, I'm okay."

"Kirk what are you doing?"

Luke who had followed Lorelai over steps in, "Lorelai why don't you go get yourself some coffee, you have to go back to the Inn soon. I'll get this idiot down and come join you."

"Okay." Lorelai very reluctantly followed Luke's advice, but she still wanted to know what the heck Kirk was doing.


	30. A Fine Series of Digital Images

Okay I'm sorry that its taken so long for me to update, I thought I was having problems with this chapter, but its become apparent that the problem is in fact the next chapter. I know what I need to write but I'm having issues making it sound interesting. So I have posted this chapter and will keep slogging away at the next one. Enjoy

**A Fine Series of Digital Images**

They sat in the car in silence for a few moments with nothing but the comforting sound of the SUV's cars engine. They held hands as Logan drove, only letting go when he had to shift gears

"I always thought that you were a sports car kind of man." Rory looked around the interior of the car, it was all leathery and shiny, it still had that new car smell.

"I like both, but I've been doing hiking and stuff on the weekends and a Porsche just can't take me where this baby can."

"What type of baby is this?"

"It's a Jeep Commander, it's their newest model, hasn't even been released yet."

They went back to sitting in silence. Logan was first to brake it. "So your Mom sounded happy that we were back together."

"She is." Rory smiled at Logan, he smiled back.

Rory sighed loudly. Logan chances a glance at her, "What's wrong?"

"I have to call my grand parents and let them know that I won't be home any time soon."

"And you're planning on doing that now?"

"Yeah, I better. Apparently Emily has been planning some big dinner for when I come home. I should let her know that the senseless slaughter of tinny endangered species is not required for the feast that she had planned in my honor."

"Ace, don't tell them yet. It's barely sunk in for me that we're back together. Can't you give them another excuse?"

"And what excuse would Emily and Richard Gilmore accept for me not coming home?"

Logan couldn't find an answer to this question. Emily was one of the most fastidious women he had ever met. He could definitely see where the two Lorelai's got so much of there… fire from. Logan didn't dare tell ether woman this, who said that he wasn't smart?

"I have no idea what else you can say Ace, it's just that…" Logan hesitated, he didn't know how to put into word what he was thinking.

"It's just that this is really new again and you don't want to share it, you're scared that if we tell too many people that the bubble will burst."

"Yeah that exactly it. I don't want this bubble to burst."

"I don't either, but I have to tell them anyway."

Rory fished her phone out of her pocket.

"What are you doing?"

"I told you calling my grandparents."

"Now? You're calling them now?"

"Well not right now, but once I push the call button, now will become the correct term. Besides the longer I leave it the harder it's going to get."

Rory hit the call button and the phone rang.

A well cultured voice answered, "Gilmore residence."

"Hi Grandma!"

"Rory, how delightful to hear from you." Emily calls out to Richard who is in his office, "Richard Rory's on the phone."

Richard answers back, "Rory?"

"Yes Rory, our grand daughter. Pick up you phone so we don't have to shout like an Amish person who sees a car for the first time."

Rory hears the phone click and her grandfathers warm voice comes over the phone, "Rory how lovely to her from you."

"It's good to talk to you Grandpa and you to Grandma."

"So has the glamour of the campaign trail worn off yet, are you calling to tell us that you're coming home?" Emily smiles, she hopes to hear that Rory has been picked up by a news paper that will give her a stationary writing position. As proud as Emily is of her grand daughter she misses her very much.

"Oh I don't the think the glamour of traveling with fifty other reports on a cramped bus will ever wear off."

Richard couldn't help but voice his concerns for his granddaughter, "I hope no ones giving you any trouble."

"Well I think for someone who hasn't been dealing with Paris for six years they would be in trouble, but me I'm a seasoned pro in dealing with neurotic, irrational, egomaniacs."

Richard chuckled, "Well Paris is certainly an experience."

There was a silence, Rory didn't want to be the one to break it but she knew she had to take her own advice and deal with this quickly.

"Umm guys I didn't just call for a catch up, I have some news." Rory bit her lip nervously.

Richard asked, "Good new I hope."

"Well I think its good news." Rory drew a deep breath. "You know how I planned on coming home in two weeks?"

"Yes," Rory could hear the excitement in her grandmother's voice. Emily had visions of Rory coming home sooner.

"Well I'm no longer sure when I'll next be home."

"Rory this is not good news at all. You know you have your mother's strange view of things. How could us, not seeing our grand daughter be good news? Or is that it? It's good news that you will not have to see us your grand parents?" Emily's voice got louder as she went. Richard interceded before Emily could really get riled up.

"Emily let the girl explain. I'm sure there is more to her story."

"Well is there Rory, more to your story?"

Rory cringed at her grandmother's voice, "Well yes. The reason I'm not sure when I will next be home is because instead of flying home to Starts Hollow I'll be flying to San Francisco." There was a long pause, Logan squeezed her hand in support, "To be with Logan."

There was dead silence on the phone. "Umm guy's you there?"

Richard was first to speak, "We're here Rory. We are just a little surprised."

"I'm still in a little shock myself. It's still really new. We are going to give the long distance thing a shot."

Emily couldn't keep the disdain out of her voice, "And what does that mean exactly, giving it a _shot_?"

"Well Grandma it means that Logan and I decided that given everything that we have been through together, that we owed it to ourselves to try and make this work."

"But Rory you said no."

"I know what I said Grandma, I didn't say no because I don't love him, I said no because I wasn't ready, I'm still not."

"But Rory he walked away from you. I don't know how you can want to be with a man who just gives up just like that."

"Grandma I think we need to cut Logan a little slack." Rory didn't understand why her grandmother didn't sound happier. They loved Logan, he's a Huntzberger for heavens sake.

"Well any man who walks away from my granddaughter is clearly not worthy."

"Hey!" That's it Rory was in full defensive mode now, "Think of how he felt. I turned him down, can you really blame him for not acting rationally. Not that I mean that I such a catch that he would be heart broken at the thought of me saying no, but he just asked the person that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with to marry him and she, me, I said no. If our places were reversed I don't think I would have been thing any more rational that he was and he's a much better catch than I am!"

"He's a Yale man Rory. Yale men are _known_ for being rational."

Richard who had yet to comment on the new interjected, "Now Emily as I recall when I found out that you were dating someone I didn't act particularly rational."

"Well that was different, "Emily said dismissively. She did not need that kind of help from Richard.

"No Emily this is not any different and the only thing that really matter is if Rory is happy."

"And what does happiness have to do with all of this?"

"Emily it has everything to do with this. If Logan is who make Rory happy then we should be happy that they are together."

"Thank you Grandpa. I am happy, Logan makes me happy."

"Well in that case, we are happy for you, aren't we Emily." Richard dropped his voice and made it very clear that Emily was not to disagree with him.

"Yes of cause we are." Emily sounded anything but happy, but she knew the tone in Richards's voice and dared not to challenge it with Rory on the phone at least.

"Look I have to go, I'm just about at the airport, I'll call you later okay?"  
"Okay Rory I suppose that we will talk to you later." Rory hung up the phone before her grandmother got a second wind.

"So I guess I'm not there favorite person any more."

"No you are, they still like you. It's just that…"

"It's hard for them to like anyone who has hurt there precious granddaughter." Rory noted the bitterness in Logan's voice. "Not that I can blame them. I should kick my own ass for hurting you."

"But I like your ass just the way it is. In fact I think I will have to re-instate it as my screen saver."

Logan laughed and though back to the day of his graduation. "You do not still have that photo?"

"Your right, I don't have that phone. What I do have is a fine series of digital images of you taking a show and one or two of these images happen to feature your butt. I thought about deleting it after the break-up but then I thought that they would make an excellent investment."

"An investment?"

"Yep. I figured I would hold onto them until the day you became a rich and powerful business man, and then sell them for a bucket load. I would then retire home to Stars Hollow and start writing my memoirs."

"And you memoirs would contain all of the sordid details of our relationship."

"Yes and I would save the best photo's for the book."

"And what photos would they be?"

"You know, you Finn and Colin in grass skirts and coconut bra's dancing the Hula."

Logan looked at Rory in shock, _how did she know about that? _"Where did you get those?"

"Well while you were off getting drunk I would get very chatty with the girls, who were more than happy to share with me some of the finer moments in your life. Steph by the way is an excellent photographer. She really had a knack for capturing the moment."

"I knew it was a bad idea giving her a camera for her sixteenth birthday."

"And of cause Honor shared with me some delightful stories about you when you were little."

"Ohh no what did she tell you?"

Rory answered in her most innocent voice, "Well you know us girls and how we like to chat. It's hard to remember everything that we talked about."

"Give me something so I know how painful to make her death."

"Hey you cannot harm a pregnant woman!"

"Fine I will wait until she has the baby."

Rory was in shock, "And leave you niece or nephew a half orphan."

"Well I can hold onto it until their twenty-one."

Rory aloud the skepticism she was feeling to creep into her voice. "You're planning on holding onto a grudge for that long?"

"Well it depends on what stories she told you."

"Well as I said I don't recall them all, but my favorite was the one that involved you, a girl called Melinda, a guard dog called Bruce and gravel rash. Ohh and don't let me forget that you were dressed in your birthday suit."

"Yep differently holding onto the grudge until the kid turns twenty-one."


	31. Deadly Joke?

Well it turns out that I found Sookie really hard to write this time round. I would love some feed back to let me know how I went. I am still without a beta and could really have used one for this chapter. So when you get to the end of this chapter you'll notice this pretty little button that lets you leave me a review and since your there, maybe you could click the button and let me know how I went.

Deadly Joke?

Lorelai was currently standing on Sookie's porch knocking on her front door. Sookie was on one of her scheduled days off and Lorelai had decided to visit before returning to the Inn.

"Hey Sookie, are you in there?" There was no movement from inside, but she could swear that just before she knocked that she heard Sookie talking.

Lorelai knocked again, still nothing.

She was just about to give up and walk away, when, a sneeze came from the other side of the door.

"Ok, well that time I know I heard something." Lorelai, growing a little concerned for her pregnant friend, knocked again.

Nothing.

Lorelai reached her hand out and was just about to try the door handle when the door suddenly flew open, Sookie came hurtling through the door dressed in her P.J's. Sookie slammed the door shut and pressed her back to the door, effectively barring Lorelai from entering her home.

"Hey, wow there. What's the rush there Barry Allen?"

Sookie laughed, "Ahh Barry Allen cos I was so fast. " Sookie punches Lorelai in the arm. "You're a kidder, such a kidder." This followed by a nervous giggle. "Soooo whatcha doing here?"

"Coming to visit you." Lorelai stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Me? Why would you want to do _that_?"

Lorelai looked at Sookie like she was crazy, "Well you see I just had this undying need to randomly knock on peoples doors to see if they are home. And this overwhelming urge just happened to strike me when I was driving past my best friend's house. So I though hey what a great place to start with my best friend."

"Aww I am? That's so sweet." Sookie's eyes start to mist up. "It just so nice to be you best friend," The mist in Sookie's eyes spilled over and became tears. "It's just so kind." Sookie started blubbering. She grabbed Lorelai and walked her over to the porch swing so they could sit down.

"Okay am I talking to hormonal Sookie of is there something I need to know?"

"_Know_? Know what? Why would there be something to _know_?"

"Because you're crying. Is there a reason you're crying?"

Sookie who had just wiped the last of the tears off her face presented Lorelai with a dry face and a puzzled look. "I'm not crying."

"Yes, you were."

Sookie shrugs, "Huh must be the hormones."

"Are you sure that's all it is? Cos you did take a long time to open the door."

"Did I? I mustn't have heard you knocking."

"Ahh then why did you open the door, if you didn't hear me knocking?" Lorelai felt that something was wrong, Sookie was acting strange.

Sookie rushed her reply, "Well I mean I didn't hear you at first. I was with the kids in the kitchen."

"That must have been one hell of a sneeze for me to hear it all the way from the kitchen."

"Sneeze?"

"Yeah I thought that no one was home and then I heard a sneeze."

Sookie shouts out, "Davie!"

Lorelai jumps in her seat, "Davie?"

"Davie has a cold. In fact I was just on my way out to get some cough medicine. So you can't come in."

"Okay or I could stay and mind the kids while you go to the drug store."

Sookie gives a nervous laugh, "There's no need for that, and you see…I umm …" Sookie was either loosing her train of through or she wasn't telling the truth and was struggling to form a story.

Sookie was saved by Lorelai's cell phone breaking out into Dragonfly by Ziggy Marley, this particular ring tone indicated that someone at the Inn was calling her.

Lorelai grabbed her phone out and answered, "What's up?"

A very peeved off French man answered, "If zis is one of you're sick jokes I am not amused."

"What are you talking about Michel?"

Michel carried on as if Lorelai had no spoken, "Because if zis is not one of you sick jokes, zen you are placing innocent lives at risk by not paying attention."

"Michel I still don't get it, what have I done?"

"What have you done? I'll tell you what you have done. You my friend have become an accessory to murder because you have booked Marion Crane into Room One!"

"Oh my god! You're right I've placed us all in mortal peril by booking a paying customer into a vacant room thus increasing our revenue, meaning that I can pay you which will lead to an increasing in the weight in your wallet, this increase in your wallet weight will throw off you center of balance causing you to fall from very high heights, to you tragic but timely death."

"You may laugh now, just wait until you have to scrap her corps of ze bathroom tiles. Zen we will see who is laughing. "

"And she would be dead why?"

"Because, _Lorelai_, I just finished checking Norman Bates into Room Two." Michel was starting to sound slightly hysterical

"No way!"

"Yes. Way," Michel dead panned.

Lorelai felt that Michel had to be making this up. There is no way that Norman Bates and Marion Crane were booked into her Inn at the same time. "Did he bring his mummified mummy? "

"Would a stuffed poodle called Marcelle count?"

"No way!" Lorelai was starting to think that Michel wasn't joking. Lorelai looked over at Sookie who had a puzzled look on her face. If it was a joke Sookie was not in on it, Sookie couldn't keep a secret to save her life.

"I say again, yes way. By the way I am putting in for hazard pay."

"Michel I am not paying you hazard pay. Nothing will happen."

"You zink zat it is a coincident zat he checked in just after her? I zink not!"

"Yes Michel I think that it is a coincidence. A freakish coincidence, but a coincidence none the less."

In the background I blood curdling scream could be heard, and then there was a loud clunk.

"Michel what was that? What's going on?" Lorelai paused, waiting for a reply.

"Michel! God damn it Michel speak to me." Lorelai stood. "I have to go."

Lorelai was already off the porch and running down the garden path when Sookie called out, "What's wrong?"

Lorelai glanced back "Nothing I hope."


	32. Mekong Well Done

Hi guys, I just want to take this opportunity to welcome my beta Captain Tash. I hope that with you now on the team the quality of my work will improve. To all of my readers enjoy.

**Mekong Well Done**

Logan and Rory were currently sitting across from each other; they had been staring at their respective coffee for almost twenty minutes without a word. Like every other airport that either of them had been in, there was a plethora of cafes and restaurants serving mediocre food. When Rory had suggested that they get coffee, she was surprised to see Logan drag her into an Irish pub. Logan simply stated that from his many years of airport experience that an Irish Pub, whether it be an Irish Murphy or a Patty O'Brian's always served the best coffee. When Rory had taken her first sip of her Mocha Latte, she knew Logan was right. It was a tip she was sure was going to save her in the coming weeks and months on the road.

Logan felt that the silence was them sharing a moment of understanding. He didn't want to say goodbye. This had been the most memorable twenty-four hours he could ever recall and was sure this silence was a sign that Rory felt the same way.

Rory, on the other hand was fighting a feeling of guilt. She had some news that she felt she just had to share with Logan, but was scared to. Well it wasn't really news but more that it was important information she needed to share with him. How would he take it? Would it change the way he felt about her? Would it make him want to take back the reconciliation? Would he hate her? A small voice in the back of her head answered her internal questions. _Of course he would be hurt, remember how you felt when he did it to __you._ Rory realized that the small voice sounded suspiciously like Emily Gilmore. Rory felt that the best cores of action would be to ignore the Emily voice. She could almost hear her Mom cheer at the idea.

"I cheated on you." Rory burst out all of a sudden. The sudden outburst made Logan jump in his chair and look at her in disbelief.

"What! When?" Logan didn't know if he was angry, hurt or confused. Did he and Rory just wade through all of this emotional crap for nothing?

"While we were apart, it's not like I planned it or anything. I was just sitting there minding my own business. Not paying attention to a word that was being said. There was a break in what the conversation and it seemed like my cue to say something. So I inserted a random yes. I mean it could of just as easily of been a really? Or what'd ya know. But no, my random word of choice had to be yes. And let me tell you something, this was not the first, nor the last time that I have been struck by this problem in the last few months."

Logan was shocked she'd been dating guys for months? They had only been broken up for a few months. Damn, how did she move on that quickly? He'd found the thought of another girl sickening since they had broken up.

Rory continued on, "Well the accidental dating problem hasn't been happening for months. The whole not paying attention to conversations and putting in random words has left me in some very tricky situations."

"How many guys did you date?" Logan started to chant in his head; _do not over react, and get every fact_. He then proceeded to mentally kick his ass for making that rhyme.

"Two different guys," Rory looked away from Logan in shame.

Logan mentally sighed of relief. He knew from personal experience that Ace did not do anything on the first outing with a guy. Actually relief didn't describe how he felt, he actually found the matter a little comical. No one could over react like his Ace. Two dates whilst they were broken up didn't really count.

Logan couldn't resist, he had a need to tease her a little, "And what kind of dates are we talking about here? I mean was it just coffee or was there food and drinks involved?" Logan hid his humor behind spite full words.

"Well yeah that was the kind of dates I went on. I mean the _two_ separate first dates that I went on were just normal first dates." Rory felt the need to emphasize the word _two_. She had only been on two little dates. Surly two little dates couldn't destroy what she had just started to rebuild with Logan.

"And after these normal dates, did you take these guys back to your room?"

"What? Logan no! It wasn't like that."

"Ohh so they took you back to their room." Logan's statement was full of mock hurt and anger.

"There was no going back to rooms." Rory voice started to rise with frustration, she needed Logan to understand.

"Gee Ace it took me four proper dates to get you to do it anywhere other than a bed and these guys got to be adventurous with you on the first date?"

"Hey there was no adventure. None of the guys got to see my adventure. There was nothing but very boring dinner talk about the campaign and the breeding habits of the Madagascar Lovebird. Which very surprisingly are native to Madagascar?"

Logan laughed, he couldn't help it. Rory's guilt trip was completely unnecessary but it was cute and funny. "How could you resist talk of Lovebirds?"

Rory finally figured out at Logan's laugh that he was playing with her. Rory sighed wistfully, "It was a challenge." She missed this, so she played along. "You wouldn't believe what a turn on it is to hear about their migration habits."

Logan lent forward in his chair, "Really?"

"Yep, you'd better do some reading up mister because you have some competition." Rory sat back in her and crossed her arms, looking smug.

"Well Ace you are worth fighting for. So I'll tell you what, as soon as I get home I'll look into getting a degree in ornithology and see if I can give Bird Man a run for his money."

"Oh ornithology, that sounds dirty."

"Only to you and the Bird Man." Logan glimpsed at his watch. "Come on Ace, we better get you over to the security gate."

Logan stood up and held his hand out for Rory. Rory stood and placed her hand in his. They both stood there for a moment, looking at their joint hands, and marveled at how right it felt to be touching each other again.

Rory and Logan had all most made it to security when Rory spoke again. "So you don't mind?"

"Mind that you had two terrible dates, not at all. In fact I think that the guys did me favor."

"A favor? How?"

"Well they just proved that I am one of the most fascinating men on the planet."

"Yes and your fascination is in direct proportion to your ego."

"Ouch." Logan looked around him. He knew that he couldn't delay this moment any longer.

"Well Ace this is where I have to leave you." Rory looked up and was disappointed to find themselves standing in front of the final security check point; the check point you couldn't get past without a boarding pass.

Rory looked at the gate, "I know." She couldn't bring herself to look at Logan, she was so scared that if she left him alone long enough he would change his mind about her, them.

Logan sensed her reluctance. He pulled her into his arms. He spoke to her softly with his lips almost brushing her ear. "Look Ace I know that this isn't ideal but just think in less than two weeks I'll be here picking you up."

"I know, but this is just so hard." Tears were brimming in Rory's eyes. She breathed in his scent, drawing strength from it.

"Believe me I know it is. But it's just the way things have to be for the time being."

Rory pulled back and made very serious eye contact with Logan. "I love you Logan. Don't forget that."

"I won't Ace. I'll never forget it again." With that Logan reached down and kissed her. He meant it to be a quick kiss, for he knew that if he got started he may not let her go. But Rory ruined his good intentions. The second their lips meet Rory pressed herself into Logan's body, she licked his bottom lip, begging for entry. Logan gave in and drew Rory even tighter against his body as their kiss deepened. The kiss went longer than it should of, Logan knew that time was ticking away. He pulled away and rested his forehead against Rory's.

"Go on Ace, if we stand here doing this for much longer you'll miss your flight."

"I know."

Rory made her way through the security gate. Once she was on the other side she looked back and waved. She felt her resolve melting; she quickly turned away and walked towards her departure gate.

"Hey Ace!" Rory looked back at Logan. He was wearing one of his trade mark smirks. "Just for the record you are the biggest catch. Seriously you are like a Mekong."

Rory pouted, "I'm a cat fish, that's not a pretty fish."

"Hey a Mekong is just misunderstood. There exotic and they're becoming incredibly rare."

"But I don't like rare, I'm a well done kind of girl."

"No Ace you are defiantly rare. One of a kind in fact."

"Wow." Rory's face became very serious.

"What?" Logan cocked his head to the side, he was dying to hear Rory's come back.

"Well I just had a sudden craving for Gouda and there you go and get all cheesy on me."

"You love cheese Ace."

"That I do." With one last shared smile Rory turned and walked away. This time she didn't turn back, she didn't need to. In just nine days she would be walking towards Logan, instead of away.


End file.
